Emmanuel Onyedika
No fewer than 68 passengers narrowly escaped tragedy on Thursday after an Enugu Air aircraft skidded off the runway while landing at the Benin Airport.
The aircraft, with registration number 5N-ENR, was operating an Enugu–Benin–Lagos commercial flight when the incident occurred at about 4:00 p.m. Witnesses said the plane overshot the runway and veered into a nearby bush, sparking panic among passengers and airport officials.
A staff member of another airline, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the incident, explaining that the aircraft encountered difficulty during landing and that its tyres came off on impact. The source dismissed claims of a crash-landing, insisting that the plane merely skidded off the runway and that all passengers and crew were safely evacuated.
Another airport official noted that personnel of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) responded promptly, evacuating all passengers without casualties.
“There were 68 passengers on board. FAAN immediately swung into action and all were evacuated safely. No casualty was recorded,” the source said, though the exact number of crew members was not confirmed at press time.
When contacted, FAAN’s General Manager of Public Affairs at the airport, Mr. Francis Oluseyi, declined comment, saying he was not disposed to respond to the incident for now.