April 24, (THEWILL)- Less than 24 hours after the Dana Air incident occurred at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has reopened Runway 18L/36R for flight operations.
This development follows the earlier closure of the runway, on Tuesday morning, due to an incident involving a Dana Air aircraft, with registration number 5N-BKI, which overshot the runway during its landing sequence.
FAAN, in a statement signed by the Director of Public Affairs & Consumer Protection, FAAN, Mrs Obiageli Orah, stated that prompt actions were taken by their emergency response team to evacuate and recover the aircraft from the site.
“Subsequently, comprehensive clearing operations were conducted to ensure the runway was free of any Foreign Object Debris (FOD) that could impede flight safety. The FAAN Operations division and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) have jointly conducted a thorough inspection of the runway surface and deemed it safe for the resumption of operations. An appropriate Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) has been issued in this regard.
“We acknowledge the area affected by the overshoot was significantly muddy. A concerted effort was made for the thorough and efficient cleaning of the area to facilitate the swift resumption of operations on Runway 18L/36R.
” FAAN wishes to express its gratitude to the travelling public, our airline partners, and all stakeholders for their patience, understanding, and cooperation during the temporary closure. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this incident may have caused”, the agency added.
About the Author
Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.
