The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, has been temporarily closed to traffic due to the incident involving a Max Air aircraft on Sunday afternoon.

The aircraft, a B737 with registration number 5N-MBD, developed a technical fault during landing, according to preliminary findings from the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau.

The aircraft had 144 passengers and six crew on-board. It left Yola, Adamawa State, en route to Abuja, on Sunday.

As a result of the situation, all aircraft en route to Abuja airport have been diverted.

At the time of filling this report, the aircraft was still stuck on the runway, thus making it impossible for other aircraft to use the runway.

Both the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) confirmed to our correspondent the airport is temporarily closed to traffic until the aircraft is evacuated.

As at 7:40pm on Sunday, rescue teams were still battling to evacuate the aircraft from the runway.

“Yes the Abuja Runway is temporarily closed to flight operations until the disabled aircraft is removed from the runway,” Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) CEO, Matthew, Pwajok told our correspondent.

The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja has just one runway, a situation that has raised serious safety and security concerns within the aviation industry.

The second runway has been in the works for eight years.

Yesterday’s incident has triggered massive flight cancellations and delays across the country.

Mostly affected are sunset airports which do not have night landing facilities.

For instance Air Peace announced the cancellation of several flights in a notice sent to its passengers.

The notice read: “Dear Esteemed Customers, the following flights have been, regrettably, cancelled due to Abuja runway closure caused by another airline’s aircraft that got stuck on the runway.

“The flights are Owerri-Abuja 14:20hrs; Abuja-Owerri 16:00hrs; Abuja-Benin 15:45hrs; Calabar-Abuja 14:40hrs; Abuja-Calabar 16:10hrs; Benin-Abuja 16:20hrs; Abuja-Owerri 14:40hrs and Warri-Lagos 16:20.

“The runway closure has also led to the delay of other flights into and out of Abuja. We empathise with passengers affected and seek their understanding and cooperation.”

For more information on flight schedules and other customer-related concerns, contact us via callcenter@flyairpeace.com,” the airline said.

Other airlines also cancelled flights as a result of the situation. Many passengers are currently stranded. (Pieced together from Daily Trust reports)

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