Door Loss Forces Abuja Landing as NSIB Opens Probe

A CL60 aircraft made an emergency landing at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja after a door opened and went missing shortly after take-off. The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau sent investigators to the scene. The aircraft landed safely on Runway 22, while farmers reportedly found the missing part on nearby farmland.

Mayday and return

Triton Aviation operated the aircraft, registered as T7-SEI with flight identification DWC052. It was flying from Abuja to Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos when the incident occurred at about 4:20 p.m. local time on Thursday.

An incident report said the aircraft took off from Runway 22 at 4:17 p.m. UTC. About three nautical miles from the airport, as it climbed through 3,000 feet, the crew transmitted, "Mayday, Mayday, Mayday." They told air traffic control a door had opened in flight, and an approach radar controller directed them back to Abuja.

Airport fire-watch and medical teams received alerts and stood by. Fire and emergency personnel moved to positions A4 and A5 as the aircraft returned. At about 4:29 p.m. UTC, the crew asked the Abuja control tower whether controllers could confirm the door was open.

A duty air traffic controller tried to view the aircraft through binoculars but couldn't determine the door's condition because of its position. The controller told the crew they couldn't visually confirm it. About 14 minutes after the Mayday call, the aircraft landed at approximately 4:34 p.m. UTC.

The duty controller saw the door missing from the fuselage after landing. According to the report, the aircraft taxied to the international apron extension and parked with help from a marshaller.

Investigation and unanswered details

A video showed farmers displaying what they said was the missing door, reportedly found on farmland in Abuja. A man whose identity couldn't be independently established said: "This is what we found as we were returning from our farm. It fell from a plane, but we don't know much about its identity. As I am sending it to you, sir, just check it."

The report couldn't establish how many passengers were aboard by the time it was filed. Triton Aviation couldn't be reached for comment.

Michael Achimugu, the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, confirmed the incident. He said the agency couldn't comment because the incident fell under the NSIB's purview. The NSIB also confirmed the incident. Its media team said bureau management had sent investigators to the scene and would issue an official statement.

Separate airline financing

The Guardian report also covered United Nigeria Airlines' plans to raise N20 billion through a commercial paper issuance. This would be the first tranche under the airline's N100 billion commercial paper programme, intended to strengthen its finances and expand domestic, regional and international operations.

The airline's September 2026 investor presentation said the proposed issuance would come in two series, with tenors of 270 days and 364 days. Meristem Capital Limited was lead arranger. Cordros Advisory Services Limited, Coronation Merchant Bank Limited, FCMB Capital Markets Limited, FSL Advisory Limited and Quantum Zenith Capital & Investments Limited were dealers.

UNA's revenue rose from N10.3 billion in 2021 to N90.8 billion in 2025, while profit after tax increased from N1.3 billion to N23.8 billion over the same period. Revenue reached N95.6 billion in the first half of 2026. In August, turnover climbed to N19.4 billion from N14.1 billion in July, and the airline returned to net profit of N1.2 billion.

Ahead of the planned fundraising, Agusto & Co. assigned UNA a short-term rating of A3 and a long-term rating of BBB-, with a stable outlook. DataPro assigned short-term and long-term ratings of A1 and BBB, respectively. UNA operated 10 aircraft and planned to take delivery of six additional aircraft before the end of the year.