Abuja International Airport reopens after being forced to close due to a jet crash landing

On Sunday afternoon, the airport was momentarily closed to allow officials to remove an aircraft whose landing tyre burst into flames.The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja has reopened for business hours after a Max Air plane crash-landed, igniting its tyres. On Sunday, May 7, 2023, there was terror in the skies as an aircraft carrying 143 passengers including an infant from Yola, Adamawa State, crashed-landed in Abuja. One of the passengers recounted seeing the tyre move away from the airport in Yola, prompting the pilot to send a signal to the Abuja airport.It took the timely intervention of the airport emergency officials, who were deployed to the runway before the plane touched down, to put off the fire and safely disembarked the passengers.The airport was subsequently shut to allow officials to remove the faulty aircraft and also clear the runaway. Providing an update on the situation, the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, announced on Sunday night that the airport has been reopened for operations as the aircraft has been towed away and the runway swept clean. This was contained in a post on his Twitter handle in which he also commended the firefighting team who quenched the fire and operations staff who towed the aircraft away. Sirika said "The Max Air aircraft has been towed away, runway has been swept, inspected & certified. The airport is now reopened for operations. Well done management & staff of Abuja. Thanks to all our customers for the patience & understanding. We regret the inconvenience."