Louis Ibah
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has said that Wednesday’s aborted landing of Ethiopian Airlines aircraft Boeing 777-300 aircraft was a normal safety procedure in the global aviation industry.
Managing Director, FAAN, Capt. Hamisu Yadudu, in an interview with aviation journalists at the agency’s headquarters in Lagos lamented the ignorance of many commentators on the incident and explained that the decision of the pilot to abort the flight’s first landing attempt at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos was the industry standard and there was nothing tragic or abnormal about it.
Yadudu (who is also a pilot) said pilots are encouraged to go for a go-around if the situation calls for it.
“Pilots are tutored on go-around in the cause of their training, and it was not an abnormal situation and I am surprise with the controversies and the news generated in the media especially in social media by the action of the pilot,” said Yadudu.
He said: “A go-around is a normal procedure, not an abnormal situation. Even, abnormal situations are even catered for by the aircraft manufacturers and even the system. In all procedures, you have redundancy, which is also known as alternatives.
“I remember I did a go-around twice as a pilot in one of our airports. As long as you have enough fuel in your aircraft, you can do a go-around. It is also part of the training we go through. In the cause of your training, you can do a go-around about five or seven times in a flight. Flying is a serious business. We have a duty to report accurately about the industry. Whatever is reported here goes viral. So, everyone has the duty to report accurately and objectively about the industry.”
Besides, Ethiopian has said that that the Flight ET 901, which departed from Addis Ababa on its way to Lagos encountered bad weather during landing and made a go-around at the airport for better and smooth landing.
General Manager, Ethiopian Airlines, Nigeria, Ms. Firihiewot Mekonnen y insisted that the decision of the pilot to abort the flight when he did was in tandem with standard procedure.
It would be recalled that a report had said on Wednesday that former President Obasanjo and 392 other passengers onboard Ethiopian Airlines aircraft were involved in a near-crash incident at the Lagos Airport when the pilot attempted to land on the wet runway, but had to abort the landing in order to avoid overshooting the runway.