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Olayiwola Matthew
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) says passengers on the crashed cargo aircraft have been safely evacuated.
In a statement on Wednesday, Obiageli Orah, FAAN’s director of public affairs and consumer protection, confirmed that a cargo airplane skidded off the runway at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja (NAIA).
TheCable had earlier reported that the cargo aircraft operated by Allied Air crash-landed at the airport after one of its landing gears failed.
Orah said the aircraft, with registration number 5N-JRT, veered off runway 22 at 10:05a.m with five persons on board.
“At 10:05am on December 11, 2024, an Allied Air Cargo aircraft with registration number 5N-JRT skidded off Runway 22 at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja with five (5) souls on board with no reported injuries,” the director said.
“They were all safely evacuated and taken to the FAAN clinic for further evaluation.
“The Airport Emergency response team is on the scene along with accident investigators.
“The runway is being cleared and is expected to reopen for operations as soon as possible.”
She expressed gratitude to the aviation community and the general public for their understanding and patience while the situation was managed.
Orah also urged the public to refrain from speculation until the Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) releases a preliminary report on the incident.
Giving an update on its X account, FAAN said the runway of the airport has been reopened for flight operations.