Passengers disrupt EgyptAir Lagos‑Cairo flight over delayed luggage delivery.

Passengers on an Egypt Air flight from Lagos to Cairo were blocked from boarding at Murtala Muhammed International Airport on May 27, 2026, after a group of travelers arrived in Lagos on May 19, 2026 without their checked‑in luggage.

About 219 passengers had not received their luggage a week after arrival. They demanded that the airline deliver their bags before allowing new passengers to check in for the Cairo flight scheduled for the same day.

The group refused to cooperate with ground staff, insisting that the airline’s General Manager must address their concerns. Attempts by other airport officials to resolve the issue were unsuccessful, as 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 and this is the major thing 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 General Manager of Egypt Air in Nigeria, Amr Basha, after receiving the report and urged him to meet the passengers at the airport.

Achimugu explained that the airline normally operates Boeing 737‑800 aircraft on the Lagos‑Cairo route. However, because Nigerian passengers tend to carry heavy luggage, the aircraft’s cargo hold is often insufficient. When the volume of luggage increases, the airline switches to an Airbus A330 to accommodate both passengers and baggage.

“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 today and tomorrow,” Achimugu told THISDAY.

Following this statement, General Manager Amr Basha left the Victoria Island head office and arrived at the airport shortly before the 2:00 p.m. departure time to speak with the passengers.

Despite his assurances, the passengers remained dissatisfied. One traveler, who was scheduled to depart for the United States that day, complained that she had arrived in Lagos without her luggage and questioned how she would obtain it if it was delivered later.

After continued disagreement, the airline finally allowed the passengers to check in, and the flight departed at about 4:00 p.m., two hours behind schedule.