Fifty passengers onboard a Dana Air aircraft marked 5N JOY were on Tuesday rescued when one of the tyre caught fire at the Port Harcourt Airport.
Spokesman for the airline, Mr. Kingsley Ezenwa, who disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, said the incident occurred in the evening when the aircraft was set to take off.
The incident occurred on Monday evening at the Port Harcourt airport, our correspondent learnt.
“Our aircraft with registration number 5N JOY operating flight 9J 344 from Port Harcourt to Lagos on 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 takeoff affected the aircraft tyres which sparked off while the aircraft was taxiing to re-park
“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,” the statement read.
The airline further stated that 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.”
