Passengers Disrupt EgyptAir Lagos‑Cairo Flight Over Delayed Luggage Delivery

Chinedu Eze

On Tuesday, a flight operated by Egypt Air from Lagos to Cairo was disrupted at Murtala Muhammed International Airport by approximately 219 passengers who had arrived in Nigeria on May 19, 2026 without their checked‑in luggage.

These passengers had not received their baggage one week after arrival, and they prevented the airline from checking in new passengers scheduled to depart for Cairo, demanding that their luggage be delivered first.

When ground staff attempted to address the situation, the passengers refused to listen and insisted that the airline’s General Manager must speak to them directly.

Other airport officials were unable to resolve the issue because the passengers claimed they had not received any email updates from the airline regarding the status of their luggage.

“The passengers are angry that there was no communication with them. That is the major thing that is annoying them. Most of the passengers came in on May 19. Any effort to address them by the station manager and the cargo manager was rebuffed by the passengers who insisted that the General Manager, Egypt Air must address them. Some of them alleged that there is discrimination,” one passenger told THISDAY.

Michael Achimugu, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), called the airline’s General Manager in Nigeria, Amr Basha, after receiving the report and urged him to meet with the passengers and NCAA officials at the airport.

Achimugu explained that Egypt Air typically operates Boeing 737‑800 aircraft on the Lagos‑Cairo route, which have limited cargo capacity for the heavy luggage commonly carried by Nigerian passengers. He said the airline plans to deploy an Airbus A330 to the route once luggage volumes justify a larger aircraft.

“What I think is that the airline may have waited for the luggage to increase in number to justify the deployment of a bigger aircraft to the route. And when you really consider the delay in bringing the luggage, the airline has not contravened any regulation because it has about 21 days to deliver passengers’ luggage which it has not passed. However, the Manager assured that the airline will bring all the luggage tomorrow (Wednesday) and the next day,” Achimugu told THISDAY.

As Achimugu described, the General Manager left the Victoria Island head office shortly before the flight’s scheduled departure and spoke to the passengers at the airport.

Despite the meeting, the passengers’ intransigence further delayed the departure of the flight to Cairo. One passenger expressed frustration, noting she had arrived in Lagos without her luggage and was scheduled to fly to the United States on Wednesday, questioning how she would obtain her baggage when it was eventually delivered.

Mr. Basha reassured the passengers that their luggage would arrive on Wednesday, but the group remained dissatisfied and continued to challenge the airline staff, insisting that they be allowed to check in for the flight.

The flight ultimately departed at about 4:00 p.m., two hours behind schedule.