Dana Air passengers evacuated after tyre fire spark at Port Harcourt airport

BY MIKE OCHONMA

All the 50 passengers onboard a Dana aircraft have been rescued after its tyres caught fire minutes to take off out of the Port Harcourt airport.

The incident which involved an aircraft operated by Dana Airlines Limited occurred on Monday in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

Kingsley Ezenwa, Dana Air communications manager who confirmed the incident in a statement on Tuesday, sent to our reporter said no life was lost and no passenger was injured.

He explained that the aircraft with registration number 5N JOY was set to take off from Port Harcourt to Lagos when the incident occurred.

Ezenwa stated that the pilot in command had noticed an anomaly before take-off which he queried with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) before embarking on a ramp return of which impact on the brakes he said affected the aircraft tyres, causing them to spark off while the aircraft was taxiing to repark.

All 50 passengers onboard, he disclosed, disembarked safely while the aircraft was immediately grounded by the company’s maintenance team.

He apologised to the passengers on the flight for the inconveniences caused due to the eventual cancellation of the flight, adding that the incident was being investigated.

Read the full statement below:

“Our aircraft with registration number 5N JOY operating flight 9J 344 from Port Harcourt to Lagos on the 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 onboard the aircraft disembarked safely and our maintenance team immediately grounded the aircraft pending the conclusion of their investigations.

“Once again, we sincerely apologise 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 in accordance with the civil aviation regulations and global best practices.”