Flight operations at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, were disrupted on Thursday evening after an aircraft arriving from Lagos suffered a nose-landing gear malfunction while touching down on Runway 08.
The incident occurred at about 7:10 p.m. and left the aircraft, with registration number 5N-BZN, immobilised on the runway, prompting an immediate shutdown of the airfield.
A source at the airport, who declined to speak officially, confirmed that the runway remained closed at the time of filing this report, as emergency teams worked to secure the aircraft and clear the scene.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the spokesperson for the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Henry Agbebire, said emergency response teams were deployed swiftly in line with established aviation safety procedures.
Firefighters, medical personnel, and other emergency units were activated immediately, he said.
According to FAAN, all passengers and crew were safely evacuated using apron buses, with the evacuation completed at 7:48 p.m. No injuries were recorded.
“FAAN’s Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Services remained stationed at the site while the aircraft and the surrounding airside area were secured,” the statement added.
Although FAAN confirmed the aircraft’s registration, it did not disclose the operator’s identity.
Efforts to obtain further information from the Nigeria Safety Investigative Bureau and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority were unsuccessful, as calls and messages sent to their spokespersons, Bimbo Oladeji and Michael Achimugu, respectively, went unanswered.
FAAN assured that additional updates would be communicated as investigations progress, emphasising that “the safety of passengers, crew, and airport users remains FAAN’s immediate priority.”
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