BA flight from Abuja faced scary landing at Heathrow as Storm Ciara forced it to re-circle runway

SEVERAL Nigerian passengers on a flight from Abuja had a minor incident yesterday when their aircraft skidded on the tarmac at Heathrow Airport as it landed blowing about by gusty winds brought on by the fierce Storm Ciara.

Over the weekend, the UK has been battered by 80 mile an hour winds as Storm Ciara has wrecked havoc, bringing down trees, destroying fences and led to flooding in some parts of the country. Travel was also severely disrupted as many flights were cancelled and some railway lines also shut up shop.

Some flights from Nigeria into the UK were cancelled but a BA flight did land yesterday, although its passengers were thrown into panic as strong winds forced the flight to abort its landing. Eventually, the plane managed to land safely after circling the airport, by which time the sped of the wind had reduced a little.

Charles Okonkwo, a Nigerian passenger on the flight took to his social media platform to recount the experience Sunday night. He described the moment as by far the scariest moment of his life but added that the Grace of God was with them.

Although Storm Ciara is over, disruption is continuing today as its after-effects come with widespread flooding and severe gales. More than 20,000 homes spent the weekend without power, while flood warnings remain in place across the country.

Flooding and debris continue to cause problems for rail passengers, who are urged to check their routes. Yesterday, weather forecasters said some areas could see blizzards and up to 20cm of snow as the storm bites.