Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has said that passengers on the crashed cargo aircraft have been safely evacuated.
Gatekeepers News reports that director of public affairs and consumer protection of FAAN, Obiageli Orah in a statement released on Wednesday, confirmed that a cargo airplane skidded off the runway at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja (NAIA).
The cargo aircraft operated by Allied Air was earlier reported to have crash-landed at NAIA after one of its landing gears failed.
According to Orah; the aircraft, with registration number 5N-JRT, veered off runway 22 at 10:05a.m with five people on board.
She said, “At 10:05am on December 11, 2024, an Allied Air Cargo aircraft with registration number 5N-JRT skidded off Runway 22 at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja with five (5) souls on board with no reported injuries.”
“They were all safely evacuated and taken to the FAAN clinic for further evaluation.”
“The Airport Emergency response team is on the scene along with accident investigators.”
“The runway is being cleared and is expected to reopen for operations as soon as possible.”
Oprah expressed gratitude to the aviation community and general public for their understanding and patience while the situation was managed.
The director urged the public to refrain from speculation until Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) releases a preliminary report on the incident.
FAAN in an update posted on its official X page, said the runway of the airport has been reopened for flight operations.
