Plane mistakenly lands at airport still under construction Cathy Adams
A plane accidentally landed at the wrong airport – one that was still under construction.
Ethiopian Airlines flight ET3891 was scheduled to fly from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe Airport in Ndola, Zambia, on Sunday 4 April.
However, the Boeing 737 aircraft instead landed at the as-yet-uncompleted Copperbelt International Airport, named after the country’s mineral-rich Copperbelt province, around 15 miles away.
Flight tracking information from FlightRadar24 shows the plane’s route to Copperbelt International Airport.
Video from the incident shared on aviation website
One Mile At A Time shows the cargo plane taxiing on the tarmac, surrounded by surprised construction workers.
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Airline Ratings
Aviation Herald is reporting that an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-800 freighter, registration ET-AYL performing freight flight ET-3891 from Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) to Ndola (Zambia), was expected to land at Ndola’s current Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport but landed on Ndola’s new Copperbelt International Airport that is located about 9nm west-north-west of the current airport and is still under construction.
Incredibly the aircraft taxied to the apron, where airport construction workers signaled to the crew they were not expected at that airport.
So not being welcomed the pilots continued taxiing across the apron, entered the runway via the next taxiway, and departed again to try and find the right airport.
Plane mistakenly lands at airport under construction
An Ethiopian Airlines plane mistakenly landed at an unopened airport still under construction in Zambia, the carrier confirmed Monday.
The flight a cargo service traveling from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and destined for Ndola, Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe Airport instead landed Sunday at Zambia’s new Copperbelt International Airport, which has not yet been inaugurated, the airline said in a statement.
The flight ET 3891 made a safe landing in the new airport, Ethiopian Airlines added.
The Copperbelt International Airport is about 21 kilometers (13 miles) from Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe Airport by car.
The transport ministry’s permanent secretary Misheck Lungu told the AFP news agency that the pilot had landed at the unopened airport “by error.”