There is growing concern over frequent runway excursions at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport (MMIA) runway 18L with experts calling on the authorities to fix the drainage problem at the runway.
This followed another Saturday incident involving an aircraft belonging to Xejet Airline which operated on behalf of NG Eagle airline.
The aircraft, which flew from Abuja to Lagos, overran the runway after landing at the airport around 1pm with 49 passengers and three crew members on board.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) on Sunday issued a comprehensive statement on the incident, saying it has commenced a full-scale investigation and that a preliminary report would be released in the next 30 days.
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Meanwhile, stakeholders have stressed the need to look at the runway critically and address the drainage system given the pattern of recent incidents.
It was at the same runway 18L that a Dana Air plane skidded off also on a rainy day.
An aircraft engineer who spoke with our correspondent said, “By now we should have addressed the issue of the wet runway any time it rains in Lagos. I learnt it happens in Port Harcourt as well when the runway is always flooded any time it rains.”
Speaking with our correspondent, aviation analyst, Group Capt. John Ojikutu, rtd, said, “We should be worried if it is known that the runways are not periodically maintained as demanded by the FAAN maintenance programme approved by the NCAA.”
He said the civil aviation authority should regularly check and audit the runways to ensure they comply with the approved maintenance programme.
Comrade Olayinka Abioye, General Secretary of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), stated that the NSIB investigation would unravel the causes of the runway excursions.
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