THE closure of the 18L runway of the Lagos airport caused by the skidding off of a DHL B727 aircraft last Thursday is affecting traffic flow in and out of Lagos.
Aircraft now spend more time taxiing to the second runway, 18R. They also record some delay before take-off.
Some airline officials, who spoke with The Guardian on the issue, queried the inability of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and other agencies to remove the aircraft from the runway more than four days after the incident, causing some delay to flight operations.
They said that the planes burn more fuel before getting instructions from the control tower to proceed to the threshold for take-off.
Operations Manager of Chanchangi Airlines, Alhaji Mohammed Tukur, said it was regrettable that the incident occurred, but he lamented the delay in removing the aircraft.
Others who sought anonymity shared Tukur’s view and called for the immediate removal of the aircraft.
FAAN spokesman, Mr. Adeniyi Ajakaiye, who spoke with The Guardian from the scene of the incident, assured that the relevant authorities were doing everything possible to remove the aircraft from the mud where it is stuck.
The nose-wheel of the aircraft had been remove from the mud as at press time, an indication that the plane would finally be towed to the hangar, thereby signalling the re-opening of the runway.
FAAN officials had been working to remove the aircraft since the accident occurred, but were hampered by lack of heavy equipment to pull the aircraft type.
Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mr. Roland Iyayi, told reporters last week that the aircraft with three crew members skidded off the runway. He however declined to confirm whether the over-flooding of the runway caused the incident.
Iyayi noted that the Accident Probe and Prevention Bureau (AIMB) would investigate the cause “of the accident.” He said it was too early to speculate on the issue.