Enugu Air XEJet flight faces six-hour delay in Lagos

From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja

Passengers on an Enugu Air flight operated by XEJet were left stranded for more than six hours on Saturday after a chain of delays that sparked anger and confusion at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.

The Lagos–Abuja service, scheduled to depart by 9:30 a.m., became chaotic when passengers who had already arrived at the airport received a message shifting departure to 1:00 p.m.

Boarding eventually commenced at 1:30 p.m., but passengers said they were made to wait about 30 minutes outside the aircraft without any explanation before being allowed inside.

A passenger who spoke to Daily Sun said the airline failed to provide clear information at every stage. “We got to the aircraft, and they just kept us standing there. Nobody told us what was happening,” the passenger said.

After boarding, the delay continued. Airline staff informed travellers that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had instructed the crew to hold on while certain documents were being processed. The captain later made a similar announcement.

The situation worsened when passengers were told that a waste-disposal hose attached to the aircraft had become stuck, preventing the aircraft from being prepared for takeoff. After nearly two hours of waiting, several agitated passengers disembarked and demanded that the aircraft be changed.

At about 3 p.m., an airline representative, N.P. Ogeke, addressed the travellers, explaining that the issue had been resolved. “The problem was that the hose got stuck to the plane, but it has been resolved,” she told them.

Passengers boarded again, and the flight eventually departed at about 4:00 p.m., according to a traveller who spoke with Daily Sun.

It was also gathered that the airline had cancelled its Wednesday, November 19 9:00 a.m. flight, leaving many passengers stranded earlier in the week.