On Saturday, May 11, an XEJet Airlines aircraft departing from Abuja encountered an incident at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Ikeja, Lagos. The XeJet E145 aircraft, bearing registration number 5NBZZ, experienced a runway excursion off runway 18L during its landing at approximately 11:29 a.m., veering into the grass verge.
On board were 52 passengers and three crew members. Prompt response from the airport’s fire and rescue teams facilitated the evacuation of passengers from the aircraft after it veered off the runway.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has verified the occurrence of the incident. The bureau has swiftly deployed its ‘Go Team’ to the site to oversee the safe evacuation of passengers and crew members.
As a precautionary measure, runway 18L has been temporarily closed to traffic following the incident.
This incident comes on the heels of a similar occurrence involving a Dana Air flight that skidded off the Lagos airport runway on April 23, necessitating the diversion of other flights to the international airport.
