FAAN reopens Lagos airport runway after Azman aircraft incident

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

The runway was closed Tuesday after a Boeing 737 aircraft with registration 5N SYS operated by Azman Air for flight ZQ2325 burst its tyre after landing.

Speaking to TheCable, Henrietta Yakubu, FAAN general manager for public affairs, said the faulty aeroplane has been towed out of the runway.

“The runway is now open and the aircraft has been removed, ” she said.

FAAN had said that all passengers and crew onboard the aircraft were safely evacuated at 1908 hours.

The airline has released a statement to explain the incident and apologise to passengers.

“On Tuesday, February 16, 2021, around 6pm, 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 statement read.

“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.”

No casualty was recorded in the incident.