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| Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. |
Catastrophe was
averted at Murtala Mohammed International Airport on Wednesday, May 29, as 393
passengers, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, escaped air crash on
board Ethiopian airline.
According
to reports, the almost 5-hour flight from the Ethiopian capital to Lagos had
been smooth until the pilot attempted to land at the Murtala Mohammed
International airport. Rather than landing on the first touch line of the
runway, the pilot over short it, due to rain and heavy wind, landing on the
third touchline and on realizing this, the pilot quickly maneuvered the plane
back air, flying out of the Lagos airport. After hovering around between Lagos
and areas suspected to be in Ogun, causing panic in passengers and crew
members, the plane landed in Lagos airport, some 20 minutes after the initial
false landing.
The
duty manager and Chief Customer Service (Nigeria) of the airline, Mr. Otori
Jimoh Otan, told NAN that if the pilot had continued taxing down after landing
on the third touch line, he would have overshot the runway. “But this is an
experienced pilot who on realised this, immediately did what was necessary, but
fortunately, the distance between when he realised the situation still
permitted him to take off and renegotiate landing,” Otori said.
He
added that the incident was not out of place, while confirming that the wind
obscured the pilot’s vision. Otori also disclosed that most of the aircrafts
that flew out of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport had to fly against
the mid day heavy wind.
“These
things happen. That is where the sophistication of the aircraft and experience
of the cabin crew members come in.
“The
aircraft is one of the best you can have around and we are fortunate to have
pilots who know their onions” he said.
Other
prominent Nigerians in the Ethiopian airline passenger aircraft, Boeing
777-300, included the Director General of Nigerian Association of Chambers of
Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Ambassador Ayoola
Olukanni, Prof. Samson Tunde Adebayo,
the Director of Ports Inspection, National Agency For Food And Drug
Administration And Control (NAFDAC) as well as scores of Nigerians and other
nationals.
Obasanjo
and Olukanni had both attended a Stakeholders Dialogue on Continental Trade and
Strengthening Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement
(AfCFTA) which ended on Tuesday in Addis Ababa.
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