The Ministry of Aviation Thursday evening announced the reopening of the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, after several hours of closure.
Sequel to the blockage of the runway by a Saudi Arabian Cargo plane which veered off the runway Wednesday night, aviation authorities were compelled to close the airport to flights coming into Abuja.
However, flights taking off were allowed but many passengers were stranded because the flights that would have taken them out of Abuja could not land.
Announcing the reopening, Joe Obi, Special Assistant to the Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, said the Cargo plane had been recovered to the apron after spirited efforts of the combined team of all aviation agencies.
“The B747 Saudi Air Cargo flight SVA 6814 that veered off the runway of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja last night at about 22:12 hours local time has been successfully recovered to the apron and the airport reopened for normal flight operations.
“It took the swift, combined emergency response effort of the Aviation agencies, (FAAN, NAMA, AIPB, NIMET, NCAA, NCAT), Customs, the Security agencies and Fire Service Personnel to accomplish the feat in record time,” Obi stated.
The Managing Director of NAMA, Nnamdi Udoh, praised the team effort of all those involved in the quick resolution of the situation, adding it was a measure of the readiness of all relevant authorities to respond to emergency situations in the aviation sector.
He regretted the inconvenience the temporary suspension of flight operations as a result of the incident had caused the travelling public. He however commended their patience and understanding with the aviation authorities throughout the period of the exercise, and assured that safety and security of air passengers remains a top priority in the scheme of things in the sector.
He disclosed that an advisory known in aviation parlance as Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) has already been issued on the resumption of normal operations at the airport.
It would be recalled that last night, at approximately 22:12 hrs local time, flight SVA6814, a Boeing 747 cargo plane with registration K74798 operated by Saudi Air Cargo arriving into the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport landed safely but subsequently veered off the taxiway. The incident was immediately brought under control without any casualties.
The airport was subsequently closed temporarily for landing but aircraft were permitted to take-off as normal.
We make haste to add that our first priority is safety. We however regret the disruption in flight services which arose from this incident.
The Accident Investigation and Prevention Bureau (AIPB) has commenced investigations into the incident and the preliminary report would be released as soon as possible.
