An Enugu Air plane carrying 63 passengers and five crew members veered off the runway and ran into the nearby bush after landing at the Benin Airport in Edo State on Thursday, causing panic among travelers and airport officials. This led to a safety investigation and forced Air Peace to halt all flights to and from the airport. At around 3:10 p.m. local time, the Embraer E170 aircraft, registered 5N-ENR and flying as Flight 4264 from Lagos to Benin, overran the end of Runway 05. However, all passengers and staff members were successfully evacuated without any injuries, according to emergency authorities.
Enugu Air assured the public that all passengers had safely disembarked in a statement released soon after the event. "Enugu Air wishes to notify the public that one of our aircraft operating into Benin experienced a runway excursion after landing today," the airline stated.
"We certify that there were no casualties or injuries, and all passengers and crew have safely exited. In accordance with established protocols, the aircraft has been secured, and the appropriate aviation authorities have been informed.
Some flight schedules may be temporarily altered as a result. Any passengers affected by the adjustments will be notified immediately and provided with the support they require. Benjamin Mordi, one of the passengers, described the stressful moments on board, stating that the plane seemed to land abnormally late and then continue near the end of the runway.
"I can't really explain everything, but what we noticed was that the aircraft didn't touch the ground where it was supposed to land," he continued. After landing nearly at the end of the runway, the plane kept going until God intervened, and we finally stopped.
"We thank God that we all disembarked safely. Today might have been a different story, but we were all spared by God. Within minutes of the event, the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau sent its Go Team to the airport to begin a thorough investigation.
The agency claims that in order to ascertain the facts surrounding the incident, inspectors promptly started preserving evidence, interviewing the flight crew and other pertinent persons, inspecting the aircraft, evaluating runway conditions, and going over operational and technical data.
Additionally, the bureau verified that the aircraft had been secured and that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and other pertinent airport authorities had been informed.
"We are relieved that all passengers and crew members are safe and that no injuries were reported," stated Capt. Alex Badeh Jr., Director-General of the NSIB, in response to the event. Even while this is comforting, every runway excursion is a serious incident that needs to be thoroughly and independently investigated.
Within minutes of being notified, our Go Team was on the scene, demonstrating the professionalism and preparedness of our investigators. As our investigators conduct their job in compliance with international standards, we ask the public to avoid conjecture.
According to the NSIB, the complete investigation report, which includes safety recommendations, will be published after the inquiry is finished. A preliminary report will be made public within 30 days in accordance with legal standards.
Additionally, it called on all aviation industry participants to keep safety as their top priority and to fully assist with the current inquiry. Air Peace was forced to halt all services to and from Benin due to the runway excursion's disruption of airport flight operations.
The airline claimed in a statement that the interruption was out of its control and that the suspension was required after the runway was temporarily closed.
"Air Peace wishes to inform its valued customers and the general public that all flights to and from Benin Airport have been temporarily suspended today following the closure of the airport's runway due to a runway incursion," the airline said.
Due to events outside of the airline's control, the impacted flights must be temporarily suspended and cancelled. We deeply apologize for any inconvenience this disruption may have caused and ask all impacted travelers to be patient and understanding as the appropriate airport authorities attempt to resume regular operations.