No fewer than 50 passengers onboard a Lagos-bound DanaAir aircraft were rescued after its tyres caught fire before take-off at Port Harcourt airport runway.
Confirming the incident, which happened on Monday, the Dana Air Spokesman, Kingsley Ezenwa, in a statement on Tuesday, however said no life was lost or passenger injured.
Mr Ezenwa explained that the aircraft with registration number 5N JOY was set to take off from Port Harcourt to Lagos when the incident occurred.
The statement reads, “Our aircraft with registration number 5N JOY operating flight 9J 344 from Port Harcourt to Lagos on the 2nd of May 2022 was set to take off when the pilot in command noticed an anomaly which he queried with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) before embarking on a ramp return in line with our strict safety operating procedures.
“However, the impact on the brakes as a result of the aborted take-off affected the aircraft tyres which sparked off while the aircraft was taxiing to repack.
“All 50 passengers onboard the aircraft disembarked safely and our maintenance team immediately grounded the aircraft pending the conclusion of their investigations.
“Once again, we sincerely apologize to all the passengers on the flight for the inconveniences caused due to the eventual cancellation of the flight.
“At Dana Air, the safety of our passengers and crew will remain a top priority in all aspects of our operations and we will continue to operate in accordance with the civil aviation regulations and global best practices.”
