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Claim: Tokpah Korkoryiza, a Facebook user, claimed that all flights to and from Liberia have been cancelled until Saturday because the president’s private jet is currently on the runway!.
Verdict: Misleading! Flights to and from Liberia were not cancelled until Saturday, May 31, 2025. The Liberia Airport Authority (LAA) confirmed on May 30 that airport operations have resumed, and flights have been taking off and landing as normal.
Full Text
On May 29, 2025, the Liberia Airport Authority-RIA (LLA) confirmed that a private flight carrying President Joseph N. Boakai from Lagos, Nigeria, experienced a rough landing due to a malfunctioning landing gear at the Roberts International Airport.
Following the incident, several claims have been circulating on social media. Among them was a post by Facebook user Tokpah Korkoryiza, who wrote:
“Breaking!!! All flights to and from Liberia have been cancelled until Saturday [May 31, 2025] because Boakai’s private jet is currently on the runway!”
The post was met with mixed reactions, with some appreciating the claimant for sharing the information and others expressing disbelief.
For instance, one commenter, Tony Koon, responded, “Thanks for this amazing news!”
Another user, Florence Efua Aikins, countered the claim, saying: “U lie. Asky is leaving this morning; the plane was removed from the runway last night.”
Screenshots of the posts and comments
DUBAWA decided to investigate as part of its commitment to combating misinformation and disinformation.
Verification
Given the nature of the claim, DUBAWA decided to fact-check the claim based on two key questions:
- Were flights to and from Liberia cancelled until Saturday, May 31, 2025?
- Was President Boakai on the aircraft?
To investigate the allegation, we contacted the claimant to provide a source or evidence for his claim, but to no avail. Then, we reviewed the Liberia Airport Authority’s official Facebook page for relevant updates on the incident. We found that a statement published by the Liberia Airport Authority (LAA) on May 29, 2025, contradicted the viral claim. In paragraph five of the statement, the LAA clearly stated:
“The aircraft has been removed from the active part of the runway, and the airport has resumed normal operations.”
The LAA’s statement further stated that “President Boakai and all passengers were evacuated from the plane.” This affirms that the president was indeed aboard the aircraft during the incident.
Additionally, our search also revealed that, on the morning of May 30, 2025, the LAA’s Facebook page shared videos of operational flights, including aircraft from Asky Airline and Ethiopia Airlines, landing at the Roberts International Airport. Another video shared the same day showed passengers checking in and boarding at the airport.
Conclusion
The claim that all flights to and from Liberia were cancelled until Saturday, May 31, 2025, is misleading. A temporary disruption occurred on May 29 following a mechanical incident involving the president’s jet, and the Liberia Airport Authority confirmed that normal operations resumed on the same day.
