Credit: Davidi Vardi, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
A retired Nigerian Air Vice Marshal, Osita Oberika, has died on board a British Airways flight destined for Abuja.
The incident happened in the early hours of Monday, forcing the flight to be diverted to Barcelona, Spain.
The flight departed London’s Heathrow Airport at 11:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 5, and was expected to land at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, by 5:00 a.m. on Monday.
However, the flight plan was ditched by the pilot when he declared a medical emergency about 1:30 a.m.. He subsequently diverted to El Prat Airport in Barcelona.
The deceased, in his early 80s, had been ill and was being flown back to Nigeria for further treatment when he died mid-flight.
Oberika was said to be one of only a few surviving retired air vice marshals from Anambra State.
The tragic incident reportedly triggered a second medical emergency involving a pregnant woman.
However, not much is known of the condition of the pregnant woman at press time.
An official statement by British Airways conveyed the apology of the airline to all its passengers for the disruption of the flight.
The airline promised passengers an email with more information. It also encouraged them to reach out for support on the airline’s Live Chat feature.
British Airways also confirmed that a replacement aircraft would continue the journey to Abuja.
The replacement flight was initially scheduled to depart Barcelona at 2:00 p.m. local time and arrive in Abuja at 7:00 p.m.
However, the departure was adjusted to 2:50 p.m., with arrival expected around 5:45 p.m. Nigerian time.
Also Read: British Airways crew member arrested for ‘r@ping stewardess after night out in between flights’
