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By Chinelo Obogo
A serious incident occurred on Saturday, May 11, after an aircraft belonging to XeJet Airline skid off the runway on landing at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos with 52 passengers and three crew members onboard.
The aircraft, an Embraer 145 with the registration number, 5NBZZ, departed Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja around 11:30am and upon landing, it skid to the grass verge of the 18 left runway. All the persons onboard were safely evacuated. This incident occurred barely three weeks after a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 with the registration number 5N BKI belonging to Dana Air, also suffered a similar incidence following the rainfall that had fallen earlier in the day. The incidence Dana suffered led to the suspension of the Air Operators Certificate of the airline by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). Also, as at the time the XeJet aircraft landed on the runway, the runway surface was wet due to rainfall. Fire and rescue officials were on ground to help in evacuation of the passengers and at the moment, Runway18L is closed to traffic.
The Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection Department, Mrs. Bimbo Oladeji, NSIB, confirmed the incident with the XeJet aircraft. “NSIB confirms that an aircraft belonging to XeJet Arline skidded off the runway at the domestic wing of Murtala Muhammed Airport this morning, a go team has been deployed to the site of the incident,” she said.
