On Saturday, a B5 aircraft belonging to Xejet Airlines went off the runway at Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Lagos. While landing at Runway 18L, the plane left the runway onto the grass edge.
The E145, carrying 52 passengers and two crew members, took off from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
“Fire and rescue on the ground to help evacuate the passengers. At the moment Runway18L is closed to traffic,” a source said.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has confirmed the incident, saying its investigators had been deployed to the site.
“NSIB confirms that an aircraft belonging to XeJet Airline skidded off the runway at the domestic wing of Murtala Mohammed Airport this morning. A go team has been deployed to the site of the incident,” the bureau said.
The incident occurred three weeks ago when a Dana plane at the same Lagos airport went off the runway.
The airline’s activities were subsequently suspended by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), which also issued an investigation order.
Meanwhile, REPORTERS AT LARGE reported that Dana Air has disengaged some staff members following the suspension of its operations by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
It was gathered that the airline’s decision to disengage staff was temporary, pending the conclusion of the NCAA’s current audit of the airline, which followed an incident involving one of the aircraft in the carrier’s fleet.
Head of Corporate Communications of the airline, Kingsley Ezenwa, who confirmed the disengagement of the staff in a statement, however, stated that the airline is cooperating with the regulatory authorities in the ongoing operational audit.
