By Paul Joseph
No fewer than 68 passengers escaped unhurt on Thursday after an Enugu Airlines aircraft overshot the runway while landing at Benin Airport in Edo State.
The aircraft, bearing registration number 5N-ENR, was operating a scheduled Enugu–Benin–Lagos commercial flight when the incident occurred, triggering emergency response procedures at the airport.
According to an airport source, the aircraft veered off the runway and came to a stop in nearby vegetation after landing. The source, who was not authorised to speak publicly on the matter, said officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) responded immediately.
Emergency responders swiftly evacuated all passengers and crew members from the aircraft, with no fatalities or injuries reported.
“FAAN immediately activated its emergency response, and all passengers were safely evacuated. No casualty was recorded,” the source said.
The exact number of crew members on board could not be confirmed at the time of filing this report.
Although the incident caused anxiety among passengers and briefly disrupted activities at the airport, normal operations were expected to resume after the aircraft was secured.
As of press time, Enugu Airlines and aviation authorities had yet to issue an official statement on the cause of the runway excursion.
Aviation safety investigators are expected to examine the incident to determine what led to the aircraft overshooting the runway. Authorities have maintained that all 68 passengers were safely evacuated, with no serious injuries reported.
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