Super Eagles’ pilot confirms Libyan authorities instructed him to divert flight
Some volunteers from Access Holdings and Access Bank donating blood at the Access Sickle Cell Awareness Initiative event to mark Sickle Cell Awareness Month at the institution’s headquarters in Lagos…recently.
Abdullateef Fowewe
The Tunisian pilot who flew Nigeria’s Super Eagles to Libya for the 2025 African Cup of Nations qualifier has explained the reasons behind their unexpected diversion to the isolated Al-Abraq airport, rather than their planned destination in Benghazi.
En route to Benghazi for the crucial 2025 AFCON qualifier, the team was reported to have had their chartered aircraft diverted mid-flight to Al Abraq, a small airport naturally reserved for hajj operations.
The unexpected diversion left players and officials stranded for over 17 hours without assistance from the Libyan Football Federation.
In a video interview shared by Nigeria-based photojournalist, Pooja on his X (formally Twitter) account, on Tuesday, the pilot stated that the diversion was an order mandated by the Libyan authorities and not his will.
He could be heard saying, “The flight plan was to land at Benghazi, Benina, and we had approval from the Libyan Civil Aviation Authority.
“However, when we began our descent, they instructed us to divert to Al-Abraq, which is almost 150 miles away, around 300 kilometres east. It wasn’t even (listed as) our alternate airport, which is not good because, in aviation, we have our flight plan, and we calculate the fuel to our destination, so we have to avoid this kind of thing because it may breach safety.
“When I asked to land in Benghazi according to my flight plan and according to my authorisation, they said no, it’s from the highest authority, you have to land in Al-Abraq.”
The Eagles’ pilot stated that he queried the Libyan Civil Aviation Authority at least eight times because of the danger that might occur due to the impromptu diversion, citing that fuel might not be sufficient, but they insisted that he should divert the routine forthwith.
“Everything is registered in aviation, we cannot hide anything, so I asked them several times, at least eight times, and I warned them, probably I will be in trouble for fuel; they said it’s from the highest authority, you cannot land in Benghazi, you have to divert immediately to Al-Abraq. Thank God we made it and landed safely,” he said.
