As FG Shuts Down Benin Airport Runway for Three Months
- Safiu Kehinde
The management of the Nigerian local airline, Enugu Air, has made clarifications over the runway mishap which involved one of its flights at Benin Airport.
NPO Reported that a Benin-bound flight of the airline had on Thursday veered off the runway while landing at the Benin Airport.
The aircraft plunged into a vegetation before being forcefully stopped.
Several passengers were thrown into panic as they were quickly evacuated from the aircraft.
No casualty was however recorded in the course of the crashlanding.
Meanwhile, controversies had since erupted over the incident in what many considered as death escape for the passengers and crew members.
Speaking in a video post on the airline’s official X handle on Friday, the Enugu Air CEO, Cpt. Tolu Ita, expressed her gratitude over the save rescue of all passengers and crew members of board.
While also appreciating the members of the public for their concerns, Ita clarified that the incident was not a crash or emergency land.
She said it was a runway excursion caused by hydroplaning.
‘We are deeply grateful that all passengers and crew members are safe. Most importantly, there were no injuries and no casualties.
‘At Enugu Air, nothing matters to us more than safety and the wellbeing of those who chose to fly with us and the people who served them.
‘This is our policy and value that shapes every decision we make, every process we follow, and every standard we hold ourselves to.
‘Safety is and will always remain the foundation of who we are as an airline.
‘We would like to provide a bit of clarity on what occurred today. Following a scheduled flight from Lagos to Benin, the aircraft landed and due to hydroplaning on the runway, experienced a runway excursion during the landing.
‘We would like to retrieve that this was not a crash nor was it an emergency landing, but it was a serious incident.’ She said.
Ita further disclosed that investigation is ongoing to unravel the cause of the mishap while adding that the Benin airport runway has been shut down for three months by the Federal Government.
‘As it is a standard practice across global aviation industry, a full investigation is currently being conducted in close collaboration with relevant aviation agencies to establish complete facts surrounding this occurrence.
‘We are committed to full cooperation with these agencies and will share verified updates as it becomes available.
‘We have also confirmed that the Benin runway has been shut down for three months which showed that the relevant authorities are taking the right steps with the situation already.
‘We understand the trust that passengers placed in us anytime they choose to fly with us and will never take that trust for granted.
‘We remain committed to the highest standard of safety and accountability across our operations.’ She said.