ONE GALLON IN THE AIR: Star's plane runs low on fuel mid-flight in terrifying ordeal

Ghanaian musician Dela Botri has recalled a frightening international journey during which passengers were informed that their aircraft had run short of fuel.

Dela Botri said the incident happened while he and other African musicians were travelling to Algiers for a cultural festival.

“We got short of fuel. I was part of it. This is not something somebody is telling me,” he said in an interview with Kafui Dey.

According to him, the aircraft had travelled to several locations to pick up passengers before continuing the journey, raising concerns about its fuel level.

He said passengers were eventually informed through the aircraft’s public-address system that there was not enough fuel to land at their intended destination.

“They announced it on the PA system. Yes,” he said.

The announcement reportedly left passengers unhappy, with travellers from several African countries on board.

“Everybody was not happy. We have people from Togo, Benin, from São Tomé, from Malabo, and everybody, we are all in the same flight,” Dela Botri recalled.

He said the aircraft had to divert to another location to refuel before continuing the journey.

“They have to stop in the closest where we were supposed to land. Before we can land there, they have to go to a different place quickly, fill up, and then return back,” he said.

Dela Botri said the late iconic Ghanaian poet, cultural activist, and academic Professor Atukwei Okai was travelling with the group was also on the flight during the incident.

Despite the scare, he said the passengers eventually reached their destination safely.

The musician described the experience as one of the more unusual moments from his extensive travels across Africa for musical performances and cultural programmes.