FAAN Reopens Runway After Azman Incident

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has reopened Runway 18R that was temporarily closed on Tuesday.

 

An Azman aircraft with registration number 5N SYS had  suffered a slight hiccup while attempting to touch down at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

 

It was gathered that aircraft which arrived Lagos from Abuja had a major breakdown as tires burst on Runway 18R.

 

This forced the plane into an emergency landing situation as families and friends worried for their dear lives.

 

The  Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria in a statement on Tuesday announced a temporary closure of Runway 18R/36L at the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos.

 

The statement titled, ‘FAAN temporarily closes runway 18R in Lagos,’ said the closure is due to a landing incident involving a Boeing 737 Azman Air aircraft with registration 5N SYS, and flight number ZQ2325.

 

It read, “The aircraft had a tyre burst after landing on this runway. All passengers and crew on board the aircraft were safely evacuated at 1908 hours.”

 

The statement signed by FAAN General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Henrietta Yakubu said officials of FAAN Air Rescue and Fire Fighting Services, AIB and Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc are already working to ensure the aircraft is towed out of the runway, to restore normalcy.

 

FAAN on Wednesday in a tweet via it’s official handle stated that the runway is now open.

 

The tweet read, “Update: Runway 18R in MMIA Lagos that was temporarily closed yesterday due to a tyre burst on landing by Azman air aircraft is now open.”

 

Recall that an Azman aircraft with registration number 5N SYS on Tuesday evening suffered a slight hiccup while attempting to touch down at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

 

Our correspondent gathered that airline which arrived Lagos from Abuja had a major breakdown as tires burst on Runway 18R. This forced the plane into an emergency landing situation as families and friends worried for their dear lives.

 

It was learnt that the breakdown of the aircraft caused the cancellation of flights of several airlines with affected passengers taking out their frustrations on airport staff that are not aware of the situation.

 

@just_zinariya who was apprehensive on Twitter sought details of the flight from the airline.

 

She tweeted, “Dear @AzmanAir, please let us know the status of your flight from Abuja to Lagos this evening. We are worried about our families onboard. Thank you.”

 

Azman Air, however, responded with a tweet which identified the flight as Azman Air ZQ 2325, arriving Lagos from Abuja.

 

It was accompanied by another tweet which read, “There is no cause for alarm, the flight landed and all the passengers disembarked safely.”

 

Speaking on the telephone to our correspondent, spokesman of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Sam Adurogboye confirmed the occurrence, adding that the aircraft was being evacuated.

 

He said, “I am aware of it. It had a burst tire on landing. It has been taken care of and there was no harm recorded on the side of the passengers. They are about towing the aircraft off the runway.”

 

A spokesman for the Accident Investigation Bureau, Tunji Oketumbi, also confirmed the incident to The PUNCH on the phone. He said the technical glitch occurred on an active runway and the AIB men are on ground, currently running an investigation.

 

The  Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria in a statement announced a temporary closure of Runway 18R/36L at the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos.

 

The statement titled, ‘FAAN temporarily closes runway 18R in Lagos,’ said the closure is due to a landing incident involving a Boeing 737 Azman Air aircraft with registration 5N SYS, and flight number ZQ2325.

 

It read, “The aircraft had a tyre burst after landing on this runway. All passengers and crew on board the aircraft were safely evacuated at 1908 hours.”

 

The statement signed by FAAN General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Henrietta Yakubu said officials of FAAN Air Rescue and Fire Fighting Services, AIB and Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc are already working to ensure the aircraft is towed out of the runway, to restore normalcy.