Key Points

• C-130 aircraft preparations are currently underway.

• Engineers assess safety before flight resumption.

• C-130 aircraft mission remains a priority.

The Nigerian Air Force said it is getting ready to fly a military transport plane again. The plane had to make a precautionary landing in Burkina Faso because it had a technical problem on its way to Portugal.

Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, the Director of Public Relations and Information, said in a statement that the service is still working on plans to continue the mission as planned. He also stressed that the plane landed in full compliance with international aviation safety standards.

The C-130 Hercules plane left Lagos on December 8, but the crew noticed a technical problem and had to land at the nearest airfield in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso.

The precautionary landing followed normal safety rules for flying

The Air Force said that the landing was a normal safety measure and not an invasion of any country’s airspace. Ejodame said that the crew followed international aviation rules to keep people and equipment safe.

“The crew is safe and was treated well by the authorities,” the statement said. Officials also said that inspections are still going on and that the plane will continue its journey once it is given the go-ahead to fly.

The NAF said it did not cross into Burkinabe airspace, which goes against earlier reports that the plane had entered the country without permission.

There is diplomatic tension over the airspace dispute

After Burkina Faso officials said the plane had been stopped for allegedly entering national airspace without permission, the incident caused diplomatic tensions.

Burkina Faso’s state media said that when the plane landed, it had 11 Nigerian soldiers on board: two crew members and nine passengers. The Confederation of Sahel States called the incident a violation of sovereignty and said that investigations showed the plane did not have permission to fly over the country.

The Nigerian Air Force disagreed with that story, saying that the stop was only for technical and safety reasons.

NAF says the mission will go on as planned

The Air Force promised to be open about what happens as the situation changes and said it would stick to its operational discipline and safety standards.

Officials said that technical checks are still going on and that plans are being made for the C-130 to resume its mission to Portugal once all safety standards are met.

For now, the event shows how fragile diplomatic and security issues are in the Sahel, where airspace violations, whether real or imagined, have become more and more of a problem.