The aircraft carrying Nigeria’s Super Eagles from South Africa to Uyo for their final World Cup qualifying match against Benin Republic made an emergency landing in Luanda, Angola, on Saturday after developing a technical fault mid-air.
The ValueJet aircraft, which had earlier stopped in Luanda to refuel, reportedly turned back about 25 minutes after takeoff when a loud crack appeared on the windshield, forcing the pilot to initiate emergency procedures.
All players, officials, and government delegates on board were safely evacuated after the aircraft landed.
According to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), the flight crew acted swiftly to return the plane safely to the Luanda airport following the windshield crack.
The same aircraft had earlier been used to transport members of the Super Eagles’ delegation to South Africa for the qualifiers, arriving in Polokwane on Friday morning.
The NFF said plans were already underway for a replacement aircraft to fly from Lagos to Luanda to pick up the team.
“ValueJet Airline and relevant government authorities, including the Ministries of Aviation and Foreign Affairs, as well as the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President, are working to secure overflying and landing permits for another aircraft to continue the journey to Uyo,” the federation said.
Despite the scare, officials confirmed that all members of the team remain safe and in good condition.
