By Abiola Olawale
There was a moment of panic as an aircraft, Embraer 145, belonging to Xejet Airlines skidded off the runway at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Lagos.
The incident occurred when the aircraft which reportedly had 52 passengers on board skidded off into the grass verge after landing at Runway 18L on Saturday.
It was gathered that the E145 aircraft departed the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
However, personnel of the Aerodrome Fire and Safety Rescue Unit of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) were immediately mobilized to the scene of the incident to rescue the passengers.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has also 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 in a statement.
The New Diplomat reports that the recent incident comes three weeks after a Dana aircraft skidded off the runway at the same Lagos airport.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) subsequently suspended operations of the airline and ordered a probe.
