Aircraft with 52 Passengers Skids off Runway During Downpour in Lagos

*FAAN closes runway temporarily

Chinedu Eze

Xejet Airline aircraft with registration number, 5N-BZZ skidded off the domestic runway, known as Runway 18L at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos during a downpour.

In reaction to the incident, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) temporarily shut down the runway until the aircraft is evacuated.
Eye witness account said the aircraft landed and skidded into the grass but the 52 passengers and crew were safely evacuated without any injuries.
The aircraft landed at 11.29 am.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) confirmed that an aircraft belonging to Xejet Airlines skidded off the runway of the domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport Saturday morning.
It noted that a go team had been deployed to the site of the incident.
With the closure of the domestic runway, all flights would now use the international runway, known as Runway 18 R and this may cause delays during peak arrival and take off time when many foreign airlines arrive the country.
Many of similar incidents had happened at the airports in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt during rainfall.