According
to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria, tragedy was averted today
July 17th at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 2 (MMA2) in Lagos
following a ground collision of 2 aircraft belonging to FirstNation
Airways.
Friday’s incident which happened at
about mid-day involved two Airbus 330 conveying not fewer than 250
pa$$engers. The two aircraft had their bodies partially damaged as a
result of the collision. A source at the airport said one of the
aircrafts was taxiing from the runway to MMA2, to disengage pa$$engers
while the other aircraft was preparing to take off to Port-Harcourt
Airport from the same terminal.
The Port-Harcourt bound aircraft was parked at Gate 4 while the arriving aircraft was bound for the Gate 3 of the terminal. The source alleged that the pilot may have been misdirected by the marshals who misdirected the arriving aircraft to the same Gate as the parked aircraft which led to the two wings brushing each other. Following the incident, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), immediately, grounded both aircraft while pa$$engers were asked to disembark by the airline. It was further gathered that the refunds of tickets were made to pa$$engers on the Port-Harcourt bound aircraft by the airline.
The NCAA also confirmed the incident in a statement issued by its General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr Fan Ndubuoke. Ndubuoke said no pa$$enger was hurt and that the incident had been referred to the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) for further investigation. He also reiterated NCAA’s commitment to safety and security of pa$$engers.Source: NAN