About 68 passengers escaped what could have been a tragic air incident on Thursday after an Enugu Air aircraft skidded off the runway while landing at the Benin Airport.

The aircraft, with Registration Number 5N-ENR, was operating an Enugu–Benin–Lagos commercial flight when the incident occurred at about 4:00 p.m.

Airport sources said the aircraft overshot the runway and veered into a nearby bush after landing.

This, the sources said, triggered panic among passengers and airport officials.

A member of staff of one of the airlines operating at the airport, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the incident, saying the aircraft encountered difficulty during landing.

According to the source, the aircraft’s tyres came off while it was landing on the runway.

The source, however, dismissed widespread claims that the aircraft crash-landed, insisting that it skidded off the runway and that all passengers and crew members were safely evacuated.

Another airport source said officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) responded promptly to the incident.

“FAAN immediately swung into action, and all the passengers were evacuated. No casualty was recorded,” the source said.

The source added that there were 68 passengers on board the aircraft but could not confirm the exact number of crew members at the time of filing this report.

When contacted, the General Manager, Public Affairs, of FAAN at the Benin Airport, Francis Oluseyi, declined comment.

Mr Oluseyi said he was not disposed to respond to the incident for now. 

(NAN)