An Enugu Air aircraft today overshot the runway after landing at the Benin Airport. The company said all passengers and crew members were successfully evacuated without injuries.
One of the Enugu State-owned carrier’s Embraer regional jets was engaged in the incident, which aviation experts have classified as a runway excursion, writes The PUNCH.
Enugu Air said in a message on its official X account the aircraft suffered a runway excursion after landing and the necessary aviation authorities had been alerted.
“Enugu Air wishes to inform the public that one of our aircraft operating into Benin suffered a runway excursion after landing today.
“We can confirm that all passengers and crew have disembarked safely and there were no injuries or casualties.
“The aircraft has been secured and relevant aviation authorities have been notified as per laid down procedures. “We are presently investigating the aircraft and the circumstances surrounding the occurrence,” the airline added.
Enugu Air said the incident would cause some minor changes to certain of its flight itineraries.
“So, there may be some short-term changes to some flight schedules. The impacted passengers will be contacted immediately and provided with the appropriate assistance.
“Keeping our passengers, crew and operations safe remains our highest priority. “We appreciate your understanding and will keep providing updates through our official communications channels,” the message read.
Videos posted on social media showed the plane off the runway after the incident and early reports indicated it had crash-landed.
However, the airline clarified that the incident was a runway excursion and confirmed that there was no casualty or injury.
The aircraft involved was an Embraer regional jet newly brought into the Enugu Air fleet for commercial operations.
The cause of the runway excursion is not yet known and the incident is likely to be investigated by aviation authorities.
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