Officials at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, have addressed the controversy surrounding Lufthansa Airlines’ decision to offload 45 passengers and all checked-in luggage on July 23, 2025, stating that the move was a technical decision by the airline and not due to airport infrastructure or runway limitations.
The clarification followed reports that Lufthansa offloaded the passengers and cargo from its Abuja-Frankfurt flight to reduce weight for takeoff, allegedly due to reduced runway length caused by ongoing maintenance work.
However, airport authorities, speaking anonymously, maintained that other international airlines with wide-body aircraft operated under the same runway conditions without similar disruptions.
“Flights by other carriers, including British Airways, Qatar Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Turkish Airlines, and Air France, proceeded normally using the same runway,” an official said. “This suggests that Lufthansa’s decision may have been influenced by internal operational factors such as overbooking, excess baggage, or crew unfamiliarity with the temporary runway condition.”
Records show Lufthansa operated an Airbus A330-300 with around 200 passengers and crew that day. Meanwhile, other carriers successfully conducted flights from the same airport:
British Airways (Boeing 777, 245 passengers); Qatar Airways (Boeing 787, 251 passengers); Ethiopian Airlines (Boeing 777 LR, 264 passengers); Turkish Airlines (Airbus A330, 261 passengers); Air France (Airbus A330, 215 passengers).
Other airlines including Egypt Air, Royal Air Maroc, Air Côte d’Ivoire, Asky Airlines, and Africa World Airlines also operated scheduled flights on July 23 without incident.
The officials emphasized that a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) had been issued in advance regarding the maintenance, and all airlines were duly informed. They reiterated that airport operations remained safe and efficient during the period in question.
“So, you can see that it was not only Lufthansa that flew on that date. In fact, airlines that flew with wide body aircraft include British Airways, Qatar Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa Airlines and Air France. I have to recall that Lufthansa on July 4 cancelled their flight and on 25 they didn’t depart with all the passengers. Lufthansa departed at 0015hrs,” the inside source said.
Also, it has to be noted that the German airline did not issue any statement to indicate that it offloaded passengers and luggage because of the reduction of the runway distance but that was what it explained to the passengers, justifying why they should drop from the flight along with all passengers checked- in luggage to be airlifted four days later, on July 27, 2025.
However, FAAN completed maintenance work on the runway and operations returned to normal since July 25, 2025.
But, reports by two aviation agencies: Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), suggests that Lufthansa German Airlines was notified about the status of the landing facility at Abuja Airport.
Facts emerged on Monday confirming that prior notice was issued on the status of the Abuja Airport runway repairs.
If the airline had stuck to the notice issued by the agencies , it would have deployed smaller aircraft to avoid offloading of passengers.
Investigations also reveal that the decision by the airline pilot to continue to use the bigger, which would require longer run on the facility to get thrust for take-off runs contrary to the NOTAM issued by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).
Findings further revealed that, in addition to the NOTAM issued by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), which manages the country’s airports, also released a message informing all airlines of the issue and the planned repairs to the identified depressed section of the runway.
The message obtained by our correspondent was issued on Wednesday, 23rd July, announcing the runway closure and scheduled repairs, while advising airlines to review their flight schedules accordingly.
The message stated, “Good morning, all airline operators. Kindly note that RWY 04 will be closed shortly from 10 pm tonight (24th July) to 4 am tomorrow (25th July) local time to carry out planned repairs on the depressed section of the pavement.
“Furthermore, all flight operations during this period are advised to be reviewed accordingly.
“Please be aware that operations have been constrained by the weather conditions and are guided by the forecast during this period.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused as we work to restore the runway to normalcy for safe operation.”
Additionally, it was found that FAAN had already circulated GPS coordinates of the depressed section on 21st July.
Experts commenting on the situation have voiced concerns over Lufthansa’s decision to continue operating with a large number of passengers, despite being informed that flight operations should be reviewed during the repair period.
Travel Consultant Mr. Botunde Dele remarked, “Blaming the airport authority in this case is ill-conceived. We need to ask a few questions. Why is it the only plane that complained, because we all know it is not the only aircraft that used the runway during the period?”
“Additionally, the statement attributed to the pilot claiming they were not informed of the depressed portion of the runway should be treated with caution. The pilot couldn’t have made that statement because any NOTAM issued anywhere goes across the whole world.
“So, for anyone to say, especially the pilot, I don’t think it is true, since Lufthansa Airlines itself hasn’t issued any statement to that effect. I know for sure that other international carriers with similar wide-bodied aircraft were landing and taking off from the same runway.”
An engineer from FAAN, who requested anonymity, disclosed that the depressed section had already been repaired and that normal flight operations have since resumed.
He said, “These are issues that happen everywhere. The section was depressed, and we took precautionary measures by first informing the airlines and then taking action to ensure that the entire length of the runway was fully functional. That has been done, and the full length is now operational as expected.”
While initial reports sparked concern about communication lapses, the emerging facts suggest that Nigerian aviation authorities followed proper procedure in addressing the Abuja runway issue.
With the issuance of a global NOTAM, a local operator bulletin, and the timely completion of repair work, industry observers argue that the onus may have been on Lufthansa to adapt its operations accordingly.
