The Tunisian pilot who flew the Nigerian crew to Libya has drop luminous at the instances that ended in the surprising vacation in their gliding to a faraway airport, Al-Abraq, in lieu in their supposed vacation spot, Benghazi.
The vacation has been a subject matter of controversy since Sunday when the Nigerian delegation en path to Benghazi for the an important Tuesday’s 2025 Africa Cup of Countries qualifier in opposition to Libya have been left stranded for over 16 hours nearest their gliding was once diverted mid-flight to Al Abraq, a mini airport usually reserved for hajj operations.
In a video interview sighted by way of our correspondent and posted on X by way of Sports activities Journalist Pooja Media on Tuesday, the pilot emphasized that the verdict was once now not made at his discretion however got here from Libyan government.
“The flight plan was to land at Benghazi, Benina, and we had the approval from the Libyan Civil Aviation Authority to do so,” the pilot mentioned.
“However, when we began our descent, they instructed us to divert to Al-Abraq, which is almost 150 miles away, around 300 kilometres east. It wasn’t even (listed as) our alternate airport, something which is not good,” he added.
The pilot described the vacation as doubtlessly dangerous, bringing up the gasoline calculations made for the preliminary vacation spot.
“In aviation, we have our flight plan, we calculate the fuel to our destination, so we have to avoid this kind of thing because it may make a breach to safety,” he mentioned, including that he time and again wondered the directive.
“When I asked to land in Benghazi according to my flight plan and according to my authorisation, they said no, it’s from the highest authority, you have to land in Al-Abraq.”
Refuting claims from the media that the vacation was once his resolution, he mentioned, “Everything is registered in aviation, we cannot hide anything, so I asked them several times, at least eight times, and I warned them, probably I will be in trouble for fuel; they said it’s from highest authority, you cannot land in Benghazi, you have to divert immediately to Al-Abraq,” he added.
The pilot famous that each one related communications and authorisations are documented and might be equipped as proof if wanted.
He mentioned, “The truth was we were going to Benghazi, and I can show you the evidence of the approval, I have it. But at the last minute, they changed their mind and changed the airport.”
Describing the situations at Al-Abraq, the pilot highlighted the demanding situations of touchdown at what he known as a poorly supplied home airport.
“There is no ILS (Instrument Landing System), no air navigation approach, no VHR (VHF Omnidirectional Range). We had to make a visual landing, which is particularly difficult by night with marginal weather,” he mentioned, including that the airport’s insufficiency of amenities left them with “no second chances” if the touchdown had long past flawed.
The pilot’s familiarity with the area, having labored there for 2 years with a Tunisian corporate, was once an important in managing the tough touchdown.
“It was not an easy matter at all. When a pilot hears this, he will understand that it was not an easy thing to land under such conditions. Thank God we made it safely,” he mentioned.
In the meantime, the Nigeria Soccer Federation has made up our minds to drag the Tremendous Eagles out of qualifier fit in opposition to Libya.
“Players have resolved not to play the match any longer, and NFF officials are making plans to fly the team back home,” the observation mentioned.