Benin runway operational again after 12-day shutdown
The runway at Benin Airport has been reopened after 12 days of closure following an incident in which an Enugu Air aircraft veered off the runway shortly after landing.
The runway at Benin Airport, Edo State, has been reopened for flight operations, 12 days after an Enugu Air aircraft veered off the runway shortly after landing, disrupting services at the airport. The reopening was announced on Tuesday by ValueJet, which said its flights to and from Benin would resume on Wednesday, 5 August. A Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) official confirmed the reopening.
The runway had been closed following the 23 July incident to allow for the recovery of the affected aircraft and safety assessments. An Enugu Air Embraer E170 operating Flight 4264 from Lagos to Benin veered off the runway after landing. There were 63 passengers and five crew members on board the aircraft. All passengers and crew members safely disembarked, with no injuries or fatalities recorded. Enugu Air initially described the occurrence as a runway incursion, but the incident involved the aircraft leaving the runway after landing, which is classified in aviation as a runway excursion.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) subsequently deployed its Go Team to Benin Airport to begin an independent investigation. The Director-General of the NSIB, Alex Badeh Jr., said the absence of injuries did not diminish the seriousness of the occurrence. The Chief Executive Officer of Enugu Air, Tolu Ita, later said the aircraft experienced the runway excursion after hydroplaning during landing, but her account does not by itself establish the cause, which remains subject to the ongoing investigation.
The 12-day closure caused significant disruption to travellers and businesses. For the affected airlines, the suspension meant lost revenue and reputational damage. For passengers, it meant cancelled plans and rebooking hassles. The reopening is a relief, but the underlying question about aviation safety remains.
This echoes the 2023 runway closure at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, which also disrupted flights. The mechanism then was different, but the result was the same: a reminder of the fragility of Nigeria’s aviation infrastructure.
The winners: passengers, who can now fly to and from Benin; and ValueJet, which has resumed operations. The losers: Enugu Air, which faces an ongoing investigation; and the Nigerian aviation industry, which faces another safety incident.
Bottom Line: Benin runway has reopened after 12 days. The investigation continues. Passengers are relieved. The question is whether the system will learn from this incident or wait for the next one.