United Nigeria Airlines has grounded all scheduled flights to and from Benin Airport following the closure of the airport’s runway by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) over an aircraft runway excursion due to safety concerns.
The airline said in a statement Thursday that flight operations on the Benin route remain suspended until recovery efforts by aviation authorities are completed and the runway is declared safe for use.
FAAN began safety inspections and recovery operations after the runway was closed following a report that an aircraft skidded off the runway while landing at the airport.
United Nigeria Airlines confirmed the disruption saying the closure had made it impossible to continue operations into the airport.
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“All our flights to and from Benin Airport have been cancelled until the runway is reopened following the closure by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) due to an excursion, the airline said.
The carrier apologised to travellers for the inconvenience caused and urged affected passengers to contact its customer service channels for rebooking and other travel assistance.
It told customers it was making arrangements to mitigate the impact of the cancellations and stressed that passenger safety and welfare remained its highest priority.
United Nigeria Airlines also called for patience as FAAN completes recovery work and the necessary safety checks needed before normal flight operations can resume.
An aircraft excursion is an event in which an aircraft departs the runway during take-off or landing. Such incidents often result in temporary runway closures as aircraft are recovered and damage and safety assessments are carried out before airports are reopened to air traffic.
