Runway closure grounds flights at Benin Airport
United Nigeria Airlines has joined Air Peace in suspending flights to Benin Airport after FAAN closed the runway following an Enugu Air runway excursion.
United Nigeria Airlines has joined Air Peace in suspending flights to and from Benin Airport following the closure of the runway by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) after an excursion involving an Enugu Air aircraft on Thursday. The airline confirmed that all flights to and from the airport have been cancelled, pending the runway’s reopening.
In a statement, United Nigeria Airlines explained that the suspension was a necessary measure in response to FAAN’s regulatory directive. The airline apologised to affected passengers and advised those impacted to contact customer service for rebooking and travel support. “We sincerely regret any inconvenience this may have caused,” the statement said.
The disruptions follow an incident on Thursday involving an Enugu Air Embraer E170, operating flight 4264 from Lagos to Benin, which veered off the runway upon landing. All 63 passengers and five crew members disembarked safely, with no injuries or fatalities recorded. The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau has commenced an investigation into the incident.
The runway closure is a standard safety precaution following aircraft incidents, allowing emergency responders to secure the site, facilitate aircraft recovery, preserve evidence for investigators and conduct essential safety inspections. The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority is providing regulatory oversight, while FAAN is expected to reopen the runway once recovery operations and safety assessments are concluded.
The disruption affects travellers, businesses and the local economy that depend on air connectivity. For the affected airlines, the suspension means lost revenue and reputational damage. For passengers, it means cancelled plans and rebooking hassles.
This echoes the 2023 runway closure at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, which also disrupted flights and caused significant inconvenience. The mechanism then was different, but the result was the same: a reminder of the fragility of Nigeria’s aviation infrastructure.
The winners: none. The losers: passengers stranded by the cancellations; the affected airlines, which lose revenue; and the Nigerian aviation industry, which faces another disruption.
Bottom Line: Benin Airport is closed. Flights are cancelled. Passengers are stranded. The investigation is ongoing. The question is when normal operations will resume.