The airline could not apologise to the passengers.
Dozens of passengers were on Friday night till Saturday morning stranded at the Abuja airport as the airline they paid to transport them failed to do so.

The passengers had each paid several thousands of naira to be flown by Aero Contractors to Lagos from the Nigerian capital.

The flight, AJ132, was scheduled to leave Abuja at 6:30p.m. on Friday

In what has become a norm among domestic airlines operating in Nigeria, the flight was announced to have been delayed. Early on Friday, the passengers got a message from the airline announcing a delay in the flight by about 3 hours.

“This is to inform you that our flight AJ132 from Abuja to Lagos Today the 8th of November 2013, has been rescheduled to 21:40hrs due to operational reasons. Check in starts two (2) hours before and ends forty(40) minutes before departure. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. For rescheduling, please call: 01-6284140 or mail tickethelpdesk@ acn.aero,” the airline said in the message sent to the passengers.

Many of the passengers arrived earlier than two hours before 9:40 p.m. for the trip.

“Based on their message, I got to the airport around 7:30 p.m.,” one of the affected passengers, Charles Musa, said.

Before 9:30 p.m., the airport announcer announced that the flight had been further delayed with many of the passengers lamenting the situation.

“They still announced and assured us that we were going to fly to Lagos. And so when they announced that a plane had landed from Lagos, we were asked to queue up for boarding,” Mr. Musa, a Lagos-based lawyer said.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt that the plane from Lagos, which was also a delayed flight, arrived Abuja some minutes before 12 midnight.

After the passengers in the plane disembarked, the Lagos-bound passengers queued and were ready to board.

“Surprisingly, the pilot just came out with his crew and said he was not told to fly back to Lagos. He said he would not fly,” Mr. Musa said.

The passengers were thus left stranded at the tarmac around midnight with no official announcement about their flight from Aero. Some junior staff of the airline, however, told them they would be flown to Lagos at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday but kept mum on where the passengers would stay for the next seven hours before the flight.

The Abuja airport is one of many being remodelled by the aviation ministry, with only makeshift facilities available for both arriving and departing passengers. The airport currently has no facility for a resting area or a hotel.

“Some of us decided to go sleep inside the plane as no other provision was made for us by Aero.

“The plane was locked, but there was another Aero plane nearby. About 30 passengers including foreigners therefore went to sleep inside the other plane,” Mr. Musa said.

The passengers were, however, asked to leave the plane by soldiers at about 3:00 a.m. on Saturday with many of them sleeping on the floor at arrival lounge of the airport.

Aero, which says its mission is to “provide a safe, reliable, efficient and competitive service to our customers”. again delayed its flight on Saturday morning, with the almost 60 passengers finally travelling to Lagos at about 8:00 a.m.

“ We left Abuja at 8:00 a.m. No apologies, no compensation from Aero. It was sad, one of the passengers was at the airport since 1:00 p.m. on Friday,” Mr. Musa said.

Aero Contractors, which won the ‘Best West African Airline of the Year 2012 Award’ at the West African Tourism and Hospitality Awards, refused to respond to PREMIUM TIMES’ enquiry on the treatment of the passengers, and any possible compensation.

Its spokesperson, Simon Tumba, did not pick his calls, return calls or reply to a text message sent to his phone.

SOURCE: www.premiumtimesng.com/news/149310-aero-contractors-airline-keeps-passengers-stranded-night-abuja.html

Behold the stellar national carrier

eediots will start blaming it on Stella

This is preposterous!

Can someone tell me the difference between these airlines and apuruka?

ballabriggs: Can someone tell me the difference between these airlines and apuruka?

please auntie what is apuruka?

otokx:

please auntie what is apuruka?

An airborne version of a glorified molue!

werepeLeri: eediots will start blaming it on Stella

werepeLeri: eediots will start blaming it on Stella

Aki u re ryt, I blame it on Stella

nigerians let's strive to have good roads dis air travel thing doesn't really favor.

Hmm Naija For You Follow me On Twitter @Lastdon002 and get followed Back instantly!

Typical Nigerian News

ok

mtsww....why are all eyes on aero...even if a phone rang in d plane we go here aero engine explode

This is why i said stella should be sack!!!

Na Stella cause am!

9ja nd dir flying death trap

usmanktg2: mtsww....why are all eyes on aero...even if a phone rang in d plane we go here aero engine explode

Dis u jst hiss in swahili?

They did same to me when I was coming from Lagos to Abuja. I booked the flight for 8 because I needed to be in Abuja very early. On sunday night they sent a message that the flight AJ119 has been rescheduled for 10:45! Due to operational reasons. I was dumbstruck. Meanwhile, what they had done was to merge the two flights because they were not fully booked.

10:45 we boarded. 11:30 we were still on the plane. No take off yet. The pilot now announced that a plane in Abuja had a flat tyre and they were waiting for a spare to take to Abuja with them.

At 12:30, I saw them changing the tyre of our own plane. Needless to say, I couldn't accomplish what I wanted to do in Abuja that day.

That's Jonathan's Nigeria. Impunity reigns everywhere!

I know jonathanians will come at me

Reason we must have high speed rail connecting every state in Nigeria.Up chelsea though we drew

Organise yourselves and sue the hell out of them

So if dem no delay am and plane crash na styl una go mk noise

Poor customer service delivery! They had the sense to inform passengers about the delay in the scheduled flight but failed to provide an environment to ease the undue stress the passengers had to go through for no fault of theirs.
Not even an apology talk more of compensation and they were crown best in West Africa and also proposed as the national carriers!!!!! SMH

I will only conclude if u hear aero side of the story. Don't judge based on just one sided story.

Poor customer service....its natin new in 9ja jst learn hw 2 live wit it

bcomputer101: This is why i said stella should be sack!!!

Na Stella cause am!

Why? Is She the MD of Aero? Please Tell Me How she Caused it??

make deh nor vex...old up dey oshodi

amazon ibru has applied her oceanic touch to aerocontractors and destroyed the airline

will the ibrus' wealth make past one generation?

otokx:

please auntie what is apuruka?

Apuruka in this context is our dear own worn-out road buses

alex406: I will only conclude if u hear aero side of the story. Don't judge based on just one sided story.

Laughable!

The airline is a disappointment, seems the management is the most unserious set in the aviation sector.


My wife had to wait in the airport ( for Aero Abuja to Lagos flight ) from morning till 9pm yesterday ( people fought for space / boarding ), she told me some people were still asked to wait for same flight that left Abuja for Lagos after 9pm, to return and bring them to Lagos.


It wasn't funny at all.






.