FAAN reopens Lagos airport runway after aircraft incident

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has reopened the 18R/36L runway at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos.

The agency ordered the closure of the runway after a Boeing 737 aircraft operated by Azman Air burst its tyre shortly after landing at about 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday evening.

The General Manager in charge of Public Affairs, FAAN, Henrietta Yakubu, told journalists the aircraft has been moved out of the runway.

She added that all the passengers and flight crew members were safely evacuated at 7:08 p.m.

Yakubu said: “The runway is now open and the aircraft has been removed.”

The airline had also explained the cause of the incident and apologised to the passengers in a statement issued on Tuesday evening.

It added that no casualty was recorded in the incident.

READ ALSO: FAAN closes Lagos airport runway after accident

It read: “On Tuesday, February 16, 2021, around 6:00 p.m., our aircraft with registration number 5N SYS operating flight ZQ2325 inbound Lagos from Abuja was discovered to have a slight challenge with the tyre after landing at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos.

“The first approach to landing onto runway 18L was discontinued due to bad weather around Lagos thereby holding a while for the weather to clear.

“The aircraft was landed safely on the second attempt at the international wing of the airport, only for the pilot to notice some vibration and sound of a burst during ground rolling.

“The pilot-in-command immediately contacted control tower for assistance and briefed the passengers that were eventually disembarked safely and transferred to the terminal. All the passengers were calm, as it was not a life-threatening incident.”

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