United Airlines’ Flight Issue Not Caused By Negligence – Okonkwo

The Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, Professor Obiora Okonkwo, has said the flight issue recorded by United Airlines carrier, last week, was not caused by negligence.

Naija News reported that United Airlines’ Boeing 787-8 aircraft, carrying 245 passengers, eight flight attendants, and three pilots, en route from Lagos to Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) returned to Lagos early Friday morning following a mid-air emergency.

In an interview with Arise News on Sunday, Professor Okonkwo explained that the incident was an error, not the company’s negligence.

He urged Nigerian passengers always to exercise patience and follow instructions whenever turbulence occurs during air travel to reduce the chances of casualties.

His words: “I don’t really think so. It is normal in the industry. The initial sign, which was detected on the other leg, the crew, the pilot, the captain, they did what they had to do. It was diverted. And what would have happened at that point of diversion is that the engineer, the engineering crew, would have looked at the fault that was flagged by the captain and his crew, they would have rectified it.

“It must have been done by somebody who is capable, certified, and qualified to do so. Because in any of those incidents, it must have been entered into the logbook. And before the captain, don’t forget, he loves to live too. He wants to be alive. Before he would take off to the next journey, somebody would have signed off that this aircraft is serviceable and is good to go. That must have been the reason he took off from wherever that other incident was flagged.

“So it’s not out of place that along the line, such a thing might reoccur. And when that happened, obviously, this probably was a little bit more out of control. And because they are crew who are capable and trained in the SOPs on what to do in such situations, and obviously with great God’s intervention, they landed safely.

“That should be our concern now. Every other thing should be speculative. But it’s not out of place. Nobody has done. I mean, United is a legacy carrier. And I know that they have people who take safety very, very seriously. And the industry is highly regulated. So I doubt if there was any negligence. You know,  anything could go out of place.  It could just happen. You know, and I believe that because they were prepared for it, that is why the casualties or the outcome is within this manageable level.”