By Suoyo Ekubo
The tyres of a Lagos- bound aircraft operated by Dana Airlines Limited caught fire at the Port Harcourt International Airport on Monday.
The incident reportedly occurred as a result of the fire that broke out underneath the aircraft.
However, it was gathered that about 50 passengers of the aircraft were rescued unhurt, following the prompt response of the fire service at the airport.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Dana Air spokesman, Kingsley Ezenwa, said the incident occurred when the pilot of the aircraft was taxiing to repark after he observed an anomaly on the airplane.
Ezenwa noted that the aircraft has been grounded pending the conclusion of their investigations.
The statement read: “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 repark
“All 50 passengers on board the aircraft disembarked safely and our maintenance team has 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 following the civil aviation regulations and global best practices.”
