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The aircraft was on a routine mission to Nigeria’s economic hub of Lagos when it crashed in the Igbokoda area of Ondo state, Nigeria’s Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo said in a statement. Ondo: A military aircraft crashed Monday in southern Nigeria with 25 passengers and 7 crew members on board, triggering a frantic search and rescue operation, authorities said. The aircraft was on a routine mission to Nigeria’s economic hub of Lagos when it crashed in the Igbokoda area of Ondo state, Nigeria’s Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo said in a statement. It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties, or to what extent the aircraft was damaged. The Nigerian Air Force identified the aircraft as an ATR-42, and said that an immediate search and rescue operation was launched.

Nigeria has launched a search-and-rescue operation after a military aircraft carrying 32 people crashed in Ondo state in the country’s southwest. The wreckage of the aircraft has been located near the naval base in Igbokoda, Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo said on Monday. The plane disappeared while flying from Benin to Lagos. “The wreckage has been located and search and rescue operations are ongoing,” Keyamo said in a statement on social media. He added that preliminary information indicated that 25 passengers and seven crew members were on board. Air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft at 09:13 local time (0813 GMT). Repeated attempts to reach it by radio were unsuccessful. The Nigerian air force said the plane was an ATR-42 that had been travelling to Lagos on a routine flight. Rescue teams have been deployed to the crash site. Keyamo said he had spoken with Nigeria’s Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, and offered the Aviation Ministry’s “total cooperation and assistance” in the rescue effort. Authorities have not yet confirmed any casualties, and it was not immediately clear how badly the aircraft was damaged.  

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has declared three days of national mourning after a military aircraft crashed in southern Ondo State, killing 25 people. Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo on Monday said 32 people had died but on Tuesday the Air Force clarified that 25 people had been killed – five crew and 20 passengers. Authorities say the plane was on a routine mission from Benin City to Lagos when it came down in a swamp near a naval base on Monday morning. After reaching the site, the aircraft was found to be submerged under water, officials said. A resident said that clothes and shoes had been found at the site. Smoke could be seen rising from the area. It is the deadliest crash involving a Nigerian military aircraft since 1992. The Nigerian Air Force has released the names of those killed, showing that 19 of those on board were military personnel. Tinubu offered his deepest condolences to those killed and has ordered a full investigation. The president also ordered national flags to be flown at half-mast across the country as a mark of respect for those who died. “This is a painful moment for our Armed Forces and for the entire nation,” Tinubu said. “Our Air Force personnel put their lives on the line every day to secure Nigeria. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten,” he added. The aviation minister earlier said he had been informed “of the disappearance of a military aircraft with tail number NGR 931, enroute Lagos from Benin at 0913 hours earlier today”. Keyamo said ” Efforts to raise the aircraft on radio proved abortive” before subsequent confirmation that it had crashed near a naval base in Igbokoda, Ondo state. He said search and rescue efforts were ongoing. The crashed plane, described as an ATR-42 aircraft, carries between 30 and 50 passengers, according to its manufacturers. Tinubu has ordered the Air Force to immediately begin a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash to help prevent similar incidents in the future. The Nigerian Air Force plays a key role in the country’s military operations, including efforts to tackle armed groups and insecurity in several parts of the country. In May 2021, Nigeria’s army chief, Lt-Gen Ibrahim Attahiru, was killed in a plane crash alongside 10 other officers in the north-western state of Kaduna amid bad weather. In February of the same year, seven people died after a military plane crashed short of a runway in the capital Abuja.

Travellers can reach Abuja, Uyo, Port Harcourt, Calabar and Enugu on a single ticket from March 2027, as Etihad Airways and Ibom Air have signed an interline agreement allowing passengers travelling with the UAE carrier to connect to five Nigerian cities on a single ticket from March 2027. The agreement will enable Etihad passengers arriving in Lagos or Accra to continue their journeys on Ibom Air to Abuja, Uyo, Port Harcourt, Calabar and Enugu.Passengers will also be able to connect between Accra and Abuja, and Accra and Uyo, under the partnership, while a single booking will cover the entire journey, with baggage checked through to the final destination. Etihad said the partnership would expand travel options for passengers visiting Nigeria for business, family or tourism. The agreement comes ahead of Etihad’s launch of direct services to Lagos and Accra next year. The airline will begin daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Lagos on March 23, 2027, followed by four weekly flights to Accra from March 24. Arik De, Etihad Airways‘ Chief Revenue and Commercial Officer, said Nigeria was central to the airline’s long-term ambitions in Africa. “Our ambitions in Africa are long-term, and Nigeria sits at the centre of them. Ibom Air has built a strong domestic network from its base in Uyo, and partnerships with airlines that know their own markets are how we grow on the continent,” he said. He said having the partnership in place before the launch of the Lagos and Accra services would ensure Etihad arrived in the region with connections to cities beyond the two destinations. George Uriesi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Ibom Air, described the agreement as a significant milestone for the airline’s expansion. “It enables international travellers to access the cities we serve through a single booking, enhancing connectivity and convenience,” he said. Uriesi said the agreement also positioned Ibom Air as a key domestic and regional connection for Etihad’s operations into Nigeria and Ghana. “We look forward to welcoming Etihad’s guests onboard and showcasing the excellent service that defines the Ibom Air experience,” he added. Tickets combining the two airlines’ networks will go on sale from November 3.  

The Aviation Ground Handlers Association of Nigeria (AGHAN) on Monday directed its members to withdraw ground handling services from XEJet Airlines over outstanding debts of about N300 million. The association said the decision followed the airline’s alleged failure to honour agreed payment plans despite repeated efforts by its members to recover the outstanding debts. The withdrawal of handling service may have disrupted the operations of XEJet has The Guardian gathered that it has diverted some of the check-in luggage of its passengers on another domestic operator. In a joint statement signed by AGHAN President and Vice President, Olaniyi Adigun Bashir Ahmed, respectively, association said while several indigenous airlines had complied with payment arrangements reached with ground handling companies, XEJet had remained “recalcitrant.” AGHAN threatened that its members would continue to withhold services from the airline until its outstanding obligations were settled, adding that XEJet’s management had also allegedly failed to engage its members in negotiations over the debts. The statement read in part: “We decided to direct our members to withdraw services from XEJet Airlines because it has over time, failed to meet up with its payment plans. Our members have made every effort to ensure that the airline complied, but its management has been recalcitrant. “We can’t continue to operate like this. Why are some companies not willing to pay for services rendered to them? This is intentional. It is affecting our members at all cadres. We need to increase our equipment, while also boost the welfare of our staff, but we can’t do this when some organisations are not willing to pay for services rendered to them. “As it stands, the company owes our members about N300 million. Hence, we have instructed our members to withdraw services from the airline and this has been complied 100 per cent.” The handlers warned that they would take similar action against any other airline that failed to honour agreed payment plans for services rendered. However, AGHAN regretted the operational and financial challenges confronting businesses in the aviation sector, but said ground handling companies were also exposed to the same economic pressures. The latest development followed an earlier seven-day ultimatum issued by the association to some domestic airlines with outstanding debts. The handlers had earlier directed affected airlines to settle at least 75 per cent of their outstanding obligations or risk suspension of ground handling services. According to the association, the ultimatum followed an executive meeting with its members to address the growing indebtedness of airlines to ground handling companies. The threat was subsequently suspended after some of the affected airlines presented payment plans and commenced steps towards settling their obligations. XEJet, however, was said to have failed to comply with the agreed arrangements, leading to the latest directive by AGHAN for its members to withdraw services from the airline.