About 500 passengers of Delta Airlines were
stranded on Tuesday when the United States carrier cancelled its Lagos to Atlanta
flight twice in the past 48 hours.
The passengers who arrived at the Murtala Muhammed
International Airport (MMIA) Lagos with the hope of flying out of the country
could not contain their disappointment.
Delta Airlines operates four weekly flights to
Lagos from its base in Atlanta, Georgia, while another three weekly flights is
operated to Lagos from New York.
The first flight was cancelled last Monday after
the airline waited for improved weather report, but the US indicated adverse
weather that could be dangerous to flight safety.
This prompted the airline to cancel the flight.
A source close to the airline at the Lagos airport
confirmed the flight cancellation, but said the airline’s management had
already sent out notification to the affected passengers.
The airline source also noted that two flights,
rather than one, are expected from U.S today to airlift the affected passengers
who ought to have travelled last Monday.
The airport official explained that the first
flight would arrive in Nigeria at 3:00 a.m. while the other would be expected
at 2:35p.m. same day.
The two flights would then depart Nigeria at 11p.m.
on Wednesday for Atlanta.
“The management of Delta Airlines already sent out
weather and travel advices to the affected passengers. That is why you don’t
have most of the passengers on ground at the Lagos airport.
“Delta has a standard, which it can’t compromise. It
is not possible for it to airlift passengers in bad weather,” the airline said.
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