FAAN suspends flights operation at NAA, as private jet overshoots’ runway

The Federal Airport authority of Nigeria, on Thursday confirmed a brief closure of the Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja following a mishap involving a private jet operated by Nest oil.

According to Mrs Henrietta Yakubu, general manager, corporate affairs, FAAN also confirmed the incident, saying the agency was trying to take safety precautions and that the airport would be reopened within the hour.

But the shutdown lasted for over one hour.

One of the passengers who does not want his name mentioned said: “The airport was shut around 4:30pm and we were told it would last 30 minutes. We have spent almost an hour here.

In 2017, operation at the airport was closed for six weeks to allow repair works on the runway.

The Kaduna international airport was the alternative airport for flight operations at the time.

The jet skidded off the runway while landing and lost its landing gear in an attempt to return to the runway.

A witness also told newsmen that officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had to push the jet off the runway with their hands.

The partial closure of the runway is not far from the fact that Abuja Airport has operated with one runway, which its agitation remains elusive.