Cargo plane skids off runway in Nigeria's capital airport

12/12/2024 6:17

Nigerian authorities on Wednesday ordered a temporary shutdown of operations at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in the capital of Abuja after a cargo plane suffered a tire burst and skidded off the runway.

No casualty was reported in the incident, as the five-member crew onboard the Boeing 737-400 cargo aircraft operated by the local Allied Air was safely evacuated, the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, which shut down the runway thereafter, said in a statement.

The aviation authorities' order disrupted flight operations, as several landing and departure schedules were delayed while emergency workers cleared the affected runway.

In a separate statement, the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau said it launched a probe into the runway incident, adding an investigative team had been dispatched to the site to conduct an "on-site assessment, recover relevant data, and interview involved parties."