Expert frets over incessant incidents on Nigeria’s runway

Former Commandant, Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, Group Capt. John Ojikutu (rtd), has expressed concern over what he termed incessant aircraft incident on the runway and taxi-ways of most of the country’s airports, especially at the Lagos aerodrome. Ojikutu spoke in Lagos against the backdrop of the Emirates’ aircraft that clipped the wing of a parked HAK Air’s aircraft on the taxiway of a runway 18L, considered to be shorter in length and width. Emirates flight EK782 from Lagos to Dubai (Boeing 777-200LR) was last Monday involved in an incident while taxiing for departure. The right hand wingtip of Emirates aircraft came into contact with the tail of a stationary aircraft (Boeing 737 of a local carrier named Hak Air).

There were, however, no injuries to passengers or crew of Emirates Airline, as they were transferred back to the terminal. Speaking on the incidents, Ojikutu recalled that the safety recommendation on the incident seven years ago when Hydro Air cargo aircraft hit the runway resurfacing equipment that was carelessly left on a runway undergoing repairs, said it could have led to avoiding such occurrence if the advice had been implemented. He noted that the reported collision between the two aircraft brought to the fore the lessons not learnt from the crash-landing of the cargo airplane many years ago. Ojikutu said that it was an embarrassing incident to the responsible safety authority that caused Nigeria over $5 million to pay as damages to the foreign aircraft owners.

His words: “The question one should be asking the responsible safety authorities of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) are what are the regulations, operating minima, safety standards or the distance for any aircraft to be parked near to the runways, taxiways and apron shoulders or clear areas at MMA, taking into consideration the extended wing span of some modern aircraft like the A-777 particularly at MMA GAT?” He queried the last time there was any airfield inspection at the Lagos airport to ensure that the minimum standards, maintenance, regulation are being enforced and ensuring that there are no obstructions to air traffic movement on the taxiways/ runways and at their shoulders/ clear areas. Ojikutu also inquired how often foreign airlines aircraft taxi on the taxi-ways left of 19L or why was Emirate aircraft was not cleared to use the taxiway right of 19L. He questioned who was responsible for airfield inspection and apron control at General Aviation Terminal. “Are there adequate taxiway lightings and apron lightings at MMA terminal particularly at the GAT Apron? How long has the Hak Air’s aircraft been parked at the collision position and who authorised its parking at that position?” He reiterated that there was a need also to find answers to these questions to ensure the process of completing credible certification or decertification of MMA and other airports to enable the stakeholders know the true status of these airports.