AN aircraft belonging to Xejet Airlines on Saturday skidded off the runway at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Lagos.
The incident happened after landing at Runway 18L when it skidded off the Runway into the grass verge by B5 Aircraft.
The E145 aircraft departed the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, with 52 passengers and two crew members on board.
“Fire and Rescue on ground to help in evacuation of the passengers. At the moment Runway18L is closed to traffic,” a source said.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has confirmed the incident, saying its investigators had been deployed to the site.
“NSIB confirms that an aircraft belonging to XeJet Airline skidded off the runway at the domestic wing of Murtala Mohammed Airport this morning. A go team has been deployed to the site of the incident,” the bureau said.
The development comes three weeks after a Dana aircraft skidded off the runway at the same Lagos airport.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had subsequently suspended operations of the airline and ordered probe.
However, weeks after the commencement of probe, the airline disengaged some of its staff.
This newspaper gathered that the decision to disengage staff is a temporary decision by the airline pending the conclusion of the probe.
