Highway jet landing raises fresh security concerns

Questions continue to trail the controversial landing of a private jet on a highway near Asaba, Delta State, with aviation professionals faulting the silence of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency and describing the incident as a deliberate operation rather than an emergency diversion.

Weeks ago, a foreign-registered private jet landed on a highway in Delta State and later returned to its take-off point in Lagos without regulatory approval. The development has sparked controversy among aviation experts, who say the incident should be taken seriously given the security situation in Nigeria.

Speaking on the development, a retired pilot with the defunct Nigerian Airways, Mohammad Badamosi, said the explanation so far provided by regulators leaves several critical questions unanswered.

According to him, NAMA, which oversees air traffic services in the country, is yet to publicly explain the meteorological or operational conditions at Asaba Airport that allegedly compelled the pilot to execute a missed approach before landing on a highway.

“In all the conversations we have been hearing, I have not read any statement from NAMA about the meteorological conditions at Asaba Airport that led the pilot to carry out a missed approach,” Badamosi said.

He argued that while the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority reportedly described the aborted landing as a missed approach, no detailed reasons had been provided to justify the action.

“The missed approach could be a decoy to fool the authorities into believing that the airport was not suitable for landing at that time due to safety concerns. The safety concerns must be valid for an aborted landing,” he stated.

Badamosi maintained that if weather or operational conditions made Asaba Airport unsuitable for landing, other nearby airports such as Osubi or Benin should have served as alternate destinations. “If the Asaba Airport was unsuitable, Osubi and Benin airports were alternatives for landing rather than the highway,” he said.

The retired pilot further alleged that the operation appeared carefully planned, insisting that the choice of landing location could not have been accidental.

“This flight was strategically planned to land on the highway. Someone who knows the highway knows the portion of the highway suitable for their plan. It was not by coincidence that they landed on the highway,” he said.

He also questioned the circumstances surrounding the unloading of cargo or passengers and the aircraft’s subsequent departure. The aviation expert stressed that compliance with both international and Nigerian aviation laws is mandatory regardless of a pilot’s experience level.

He said, “Even if nobody has mentioned the criminal aspect of this incident, I stand to be corrected that there’s criminality in disembarking cargo and taking off from an approved location without a flight plan.

“It doesn’t matter what the experience of the captain is. If he doesn’t know the air law, his experience as a pilot leaves much to be desired.”

He added that all pilots operating in Nigeria must comply with local aviation regulations in addition to international standards prescribed by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

He also raised concerns about reports that all three crew members on board were pilots, questioning the absence of cabin crew and the implications for emergency procedures if an accident had occurred.

He noted that determining the identities of passengers on board should not be difficult if proper passenger manifests were filed, insisting that the industry deserves a prompt preliminary report given that all crew members reportedly survived the incident.

“There are so many questions about this flight that have tarnished the image of the aviation industry. How long does it take to produce a preliminary investigation report on an incident where all the crew members are alive?” he asked.

Reinforcing Badamosi’s position, aviation security expert John Ojikutu dismissed the suggestion that the event resulted from a missed approach, insisting that evidence available to him points to a pre-arranged operation.

“Not a missed-approach landing at Asaba but a preplanned flight-plan landing at Ugwan Chukwu ahead of the flight plan to Asaba,” he maintained.

Contacted for a response, the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Dr Abdullahi Musa, said the agency was yet to comment on the development because the Managing Director of NAMA, Farouq Ahmed, had not granted approval for a response.

Musa, who spoke through a text message to our correspondent, said, “NAMA did not release any official statement over the issue. MD is yet to grant a mandate to discuss the matter.”