Runway blackout: Emirates, HAK planes collide at Lagos Airport

A sudden blackout on Runway (R-18) of the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, on Monday night led to a ground collision between an Emirates Airlines aircraft and HAK Airline plane B737-400 parked at the apron wing of the airport.
Freedom Online learned that the Emirates aircraft, a Boeing 777-200LR marked A6-EWD and with over 300 passengers, was diverted to take off from the domestic runway (L-18) of the airport due to the light out when it collided with the local plane.
Due to its size, the Emirates aircraft had a little damage on its wingtip but the Hak Air plane sustained substantial damage.
The incident happened about 9.30pm when the aircraft, with flight number EK782, was taxing to the take-off point for departure. For the Emirates aircraft passengers, the journey to Dubai was aborted.
They were subsequently lodged in a three-star hotel in Lagos.
The incident was confirmed by the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) which commenced investigation to unravel the cause of the incident.
A source at the Bureau said the accident happened because “the international runway was not properly lit. That was why all international aircraft were directed to the local runway for take-off but top management should have known that being a big aircraft with wide wings, the right wing was likely to come in contact with any aircraft parked at the apron and that was exactly what happened”.
Speaking on the incident, the Regional Manager, Emirates West Africa, Mr. Manoj Nair, said: “The right hand wingtip of our aircraft came into contact with the tail of a stationary aircraft, Boeing 737 of a local carrier named Hak Air. There were no injuries to passengers or crew, but the aircraft remained on ground while all passengers and crew were transferred back to the terminal.
“A night stop has been declared and passengers will be accommodated on other services. Our flight safety team has left for Lagos. Emirates can confirm that flight EK782 from Lagos to Dubai on 6th July made minor contact with the aircraft of another carrier while taxiing.
“Passengers were provided overnight hotel accommodation and will be flown to Dubai on other Emirates services on 7th July. Emirates apologises for any inconvenience caused. The aircraft, a Boeing 777-200LR, is currently in Lagos for damage assessment and checks. Emirates is co-operating fully with all the relevant authorities. We are also conducting our own internal investigation into the incident.”
Head, Public Affairs of AIB, Mr. Tunji Oketunbi, said: “The investigator had promptly deployed a team of investigators to determine the circumstances surrounding the serious incident with a view to making possible safety recommendations”.
Freedom Online learned that the damaged B737-400 aircraft was slated for a demo flight to be held on Tuesday morning in preparations for the issuance of Air Operations Certificate (AOC) for the airline to commence scheduled domestic flight operations.
Top aviation chiefs, among whom were the Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Usman Mukhtar; Managing Director of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Engr. Saleh Dunamo; Managing Director, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Engr. Ibrahim Abdulsalam and the Commissioner/CEO of AIB, Dr Felix Abali, visited the scene on Monday night.
Abali told Freedom Online: “The investigation shall be handled with speed. Every incident is a safety issue that must be thoroughly investigated. This will help in preventing accidents and sustain safety in aviation”.
Freedom Online learned that the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of HAK Airline, Captain Harry Kuti, is out of the country.