Residents curious about cargo loaded onto Nigeria flight hours ahead of departure, while Lovell calls venture an ‘air-faking’
Harold Lovell, Political Leader of the United Progressive Party (UPP), is joining other nationals who have expressed concern about the arrival of a chartered plane from Nigeria.
The aircraft is said to have made at least six stops, beginning in Lisbon, Portugal, where the flight originated, and not Lagos, as previously thought.
With a capacity of about 250 passengers, it reportedly arrived with fewer than half of that number. But many residents believe the EuroAtlantic Airways plane brought more passengers than the “over 100” reported to have been on board.
However, residents say they are mostly concerned about the contents of the cargo hub, which, sources in Nigeria claim, took more than 17 hours to load in Lagos.
The sources say the aircraft landed in Lagos on October 31, at 12:45 p.m., and containers began to be loaded shortly thereafter, at 1:15 p.m.
They note that the ground handlers loaded the cargo compartment some 18 hours before the departure of the EuroAtlantic Airways Charter Flight – YU621/MMZ621 – to Antigua.
Allegedly, the aircraft parked was parked in a discreet location on the airport, but was under strict observation and monitoring by Nigerian security operatives.
Meanwhile, local sources claim that, while the craft was on the ground at the V.C. Bird International Airport, handlers “cleverly” opened the forward cargo compartment as a diversion.
Lovell says this news alone has solidified the Party’s suspicions about the aircraft’s arrival on Independence Day, Tuesday, November 1.
While the Browne Administration is patting itself on the back for the flight’s timely arrival, Lovell says that, on the face of it, the venture appears to be some sort of scam.
Meanwhile, Lovell says that he welcomes a link with Africa. But what the Administration perpetrated on Independence Day was a mockery, pappyshow, laughable, an air-faking and a next-level bluff, the Political Leader declares.
Those who arrived on the recent flight are reportedly students and agricultural and hospital workers, among others, who are struggling to meet their accommodation and food expenses.
Several sources report that at least 10 of these visitors left the country for St. Kitts on Wednesday.