A storm of controversy has erupted after an Air France flight from Paris to Abuja, diverted due to bad weather, left Nigerian passengers stranded in Lomé, Togo, sparking outrage from Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo.
The incident, which unfolded on Thursday, February 28, 2025, saw the flight forced to land in Lomé after adverse weather conditions in Abuja made landing impossible. However, instead of ensuring that stranded passengers were promptly flown to their destination once the weather improved, Air France allegedly planned to leave them in Togo overnight—despite the same aircraft returning to Abuja later that night to pick up outbound passengers.
Keyamo, in a strongly-worded statement on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, condemned the airline’s handling of the situation, calling it unacceptable and unfair to Nigerian travelers.
“I have just been alerted of a situation involving mostly Nigerian passengers left stranded in Lomé, Togo, by Air France. The flight from Paris to Abuja could not land due to bad weather, which is understandable. However, what is confounding is that instead of bringing them back after the storm subsided, plans were made to leave them in Lomé till tomorrow, even when that same flight will return to Abuja tonight to pick up passengers,” the Minister stated.
The development has sparked anger among affected passengers and aviation stakeholders, with many calling for stricter regulations to prevent what they describe as unfair treatment of Nigerian travelers by foreign airlines.
Air France is yet to officially respond to the allegations, but pressure is mounting for the airline to offer explanations and ensure better treatment of passengers facing similar disruptions in the future.
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