A damaged section of the runway at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, forced Lufthansa Airlines to offload 45 passengers and all checked-in luggage from its Abuja–Frankfurt flight on Wednesday, due to aircraft weight restrictions triggered by reduced take-off distance.
The German carrier, operating an Airbus A330-300 typically configured to seat 250 to 290 passengers was compelled to reduce its take-off weight after a large hole was discovered at one end of the 3,610-meter runway. The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) subsequently cordoned off the affected section, limiting the usable portion of the runway and compromising aircraft take-off operations.
In response to the safety concern, the Lufthansa flight had to depart using only the shortened portion of the runway, prompting the offloading of 45 passengers and all checked luggage.
A senior pilot and Managing Director of Aero Contractors, Captain Ado Sanusi, confirmed the technical rationale behind the decision.
“In order to overcome the challenge posed by the reduced length of the runway, the aircraft had to find an effective way to take off from the usable length. So, you reduce the weight,” Sanusi explained.
Passengers affected by the incident were accommodated at Abuja Continental Hotel around 4:00 a.m. the following morning. One of the offloaded travelers, who spoke to THISDAY on condition of anonymity, confirmed that his flight was rescheduled for Sunday, July 27 four days after the original departure date.
He described the process of selecting passengers for offloading as chaotic and emotionally taxing.
“Selecting the number of people to drop caused commotion because everybody wanted to travel. The airline invited us in groups and later skipped the group eventually told they wouldn’t travel. Even those that boarded flew without their checked-in luggage.”
The decision to leave behind all checked baggage was reportedly due to time constraints and the complexity of sorting individual items during the already-delayed boarding process. The flight, originally scheduled to depart at 10:20 p.m., was delayed to 10:50 p.m. and eventually left much later.
Some affected passengers expressed frustration and are reportedly considering legal action against the airline over the disruption. According to one passenger, the incident had significant consequences for many travelers.
“This incident disrupted the schedule of many passengers. Some were meant to resume work the following day, while others missed important appointments. It was saddening.”
Despite the inconvenience, he praised Lufthansa staff for their composure and coordination.
“The staff were dedicated and tried to remain organised. They ensured our offloaded luggage was sorted and arranged our accommodation until our rescheduled flight.”
THISDAY also learned that the pilot initially contemplated aborting the flight altogether due to uncertainty surrounding the extent of the runway damage, worsened by poor weather conditions that night. There were also indications that the pilot may not have been properly informed about the runway’s condition, suggesting a possible failure to activate a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen).
Airport sources told THISDAY that the damaged portion of the runway had been left unattended for a prolonged period, despite repeated reports to FAAN management, including the airport manager.
In a statement issued after the incident, FAAN confirmed that it carried out overnight repair work on the affected runway section from midnight Thursday to 4:00 a.m. Friday. The agency described the damaged area as a “depression” and added that a NOTAM had now been issued to alert all airlines using the Abuja airport to review their operations accordingly.
The development has raised serious concerns about infrastructure maintenance and operational safety at one of Nigeria’s busiest airports.
