Nigeria’s Enugu Air aircraft skids off runway

A passenger aircraft belonging to Nigeria’s Enugu Air skidded off the runway after landing at Benin City airport in the south of the country on Thursday evening, the airline said.

The Embraer E170 aircraft was flying from Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, to Benin City with 68 passengers and crew on board. All passengers and crew disembarked safely, and no injuries were reported, the airline confirmed.

The aircraft came to a stop on the grass verge adjacent to the runway, temporarily disrupting operations at the airport. The runway was closed while recovery operations were carried out but has since been reopened.

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) said it has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the incident. “We have deployed a team of investigators to the scene to gather evidence and conduct a thorough inquiry,” the NSIB said in a statement.

Enugu Air, one of Nigeria’s newest airlines, began operations in July 2025. The carrier operates domestic flights connecting major cities across the country.

The incident comes as Nigeria has recorded significant improvements in its aviation safety record in recent years. The country was removed from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) safety audit list in 2023 after demonstrating compliance with global safety standards.

The NSIB said preliminary findings would be released in due course.

SOURCE: AFP