42 passengers escape death as Arik makes emergency landing

About 42 passengers escaped death Thursday evening as the Arik plane they were travelling in developed engine problem mid-air forcing it to make an emergency landing at the Benin airport


One of the passengers, Umar Yusuf, said the plane was coming from Warri en route Abuja when the flight officer  announced that one of the engines refused to work and that they had to make an emergency landing in Benin. He said the announcement caused panic among the passengers most of who started praying forGod to spare their lives.

He said they finally made the landing and were moved to various hotels in the ancient city where they spent the night

An Arik spokesman, Mr. Banji Ola, who confirmed the incident by phone from Lagos, said the plane did not make an emergency landing but made what is called “tactical diversion” in airline operations. He said the plane took off from Warri and was heading to Abuja when the pilot discovered an engine fault; he had to divert to stop in Benin.
“It is called tactical diversion not emergency landing,” he insisted.