Arik Air begs passengers over flight disruption

Arik Air has apologised to passengers onboard its Boeing 737-700 (5N MJF) aircraft that  experienced a loud bang on its left engine while flying from Lagos to Port Harcourt on Wednesday, February 11, 2026.

The loud noise incident disrupted the flight as the aircraft was diverted to Benin Airport by the operating crew.

The apology was contained in a statement issued by the airline.

The statement states thus: Arik Air’s Boeing 737-700 (5N MJF) aircraft operating flight W3 740 from Lagos to Port Harcourt today, February 11, 2026, diverted to Benin Airport after the operating crew heard a loud bang on the left engine.

The aircraft was on its decent to Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa when the incident happened and as a precautionary measure, the crew had to make a safe diversion to Benin.

There were no injuries to passengers and crew as all 80 passengers on board were safely disembarked. Arrangements have been made to transport the affected passengers to their final destination.

We sincerely apologise to the affected Port Harcourt passengers whose journey has been disrupted. The safety and wellbeing of passengers is always our priority at Arik Air.