CONTROVERSY continues to trail German airline Lufthansa over its decision to offload 45 Nigerian passengers and all checked-in baggage from a scheduled Abuja-Frankfurt flight on July 23, 2025.
News Point Nigeria reports that the incident, which occurred at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, has triggered questions over the airline’s handling of the situation, with conflicting accounts from airport officials and the carrier’s management.
According to sources, Lufthansa’s flight was fully booked with approximately 200 passengers.
However, 45 travelers were abruptly removed, along with all their checked-in luggage, allegedly to reduce the aircraft’s weight for takeoff.
The reason cited was that ongoing runway maintenance works had shortened the usable portion of the runway.
In its defense, Lufthansa explained that rainfall and tailwinds at the time had impacted safe takeoff conditions, prompting the airline to lighten the aircraft.
In a letter to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the airline said the decision was made purely on safety grounds and was not due to operational miscommunication or negligence.
“The runway maintenance was known to us, and we received the NOTAM (Notice to Airmen),” Lufthansa said.
“However, considering the weather and tailwind conditions at departure, the aircraft’s takeoff performance would have been compromised without weight reduction.”
But this account was met with skepticism by some airport officials, who questioned the justification.
Speaking anonymously, they noted that several other international airlines, including British Airways, Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, Air France, and Royal Air Maroc, operated flights with similar or larger aircraft on the same day without resorting to offloading passengers or luggage.
On July 23 alone:
British Airways departed with 245 passengers aboard a Boeing B777.
Qatar Airways flew out with 251 passengers on a Boeing B787.
Turkish Airlines operated an Airbus A330 with 261 passengers.
Air France also used an Airbus A330 with 215 passengers.
These airlines reportedly encountered the same shortened runway, yet executed normal operations.
Airport sources told News Point Nigeria that they suspect overbooking and technical issues may have influenced Lufthansa’s decision.
One official suggested that a change in the flight crew unfamiliar with the adjusted runway length may have triggered caution, or that the aircraft was simply carrying excess baggage that breached weight limits.
They added that a valid NOTAM had been issued well in advance, and all airlines had been notified about the temporary runway restrictions.
FAAN completed the runway maintenance by July 25, with full operations resuming afterward.
Affected passengers have yet to receive a formal apology or compensation from Lufthansa, raising further concerns about how foreign airlines treat Nigerian travelers.
Aviation stakeholders are calling for an investigation into the incident, demanding clarity on whether the airline acted in good faith or simply used safety concerns to justify poor planning and overbooking.
As of the time of filing this report, Lufthansa has not disclosed how the affected passengers were rebooked or whether any compensation measures are being pursued.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is also yet to issue an official statement.