In a concerning incident at Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos, an aircraft operated by XEJET Airlines veered off the runway and landed in the grass. This comes barely two weeks after the suspension of Dana Air by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authorities due to a similar incident.
Following the latest occurrence, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has made the decision to close the 18/Left runway. The Airbus, bearing registration 5N-BZZ and carrying 52 passengers from Abuja, experienced the mishap upon its 11:29 am landing in Lagos.
This is not the first time such incidents have taken place. Just last month, a Dana MD-82 aircraft was involved in a runway skid, prompting the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, to order a comprehensive audit and the subsequent suspension of the carrier. Similarly, last November saw two separate incidents involving aircraft from different airlines skidding off the runway within one week.
The closure of the runway by FAAN leaves the airport with only one operational runway, leading to anticipated delays and congestion for incoming and outgoing flights. Meanwhile, the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau has dispatched a team to investigate the XEJET Airlines incident, although the exact timeline for the runway’s reopening remains uncertain.
