By Abel Orukpe, Lagos

Disaster was again averted at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, yesterday, when two Airbus A319 airplanes belonging to First Nation Airways, a domestic carrier, collided at the apron of the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 2(MMA2).

An aviation worker who witnessed the incident told Saturday Independent that the collision happened on ground and not in the air and that there were about 260 passengers on board both aircraft were disembarked immediately.

The incident is coming barely 12 days after Emirates Airlines aircraft Boeing 777-200 LR with over 300 passengers hit a stationery Boeing 737-400 aircraft owned by HAK Air, a domestic operator at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos.

Commissioner of Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Dr Felix Abali, had explained that Emirates Airlines aircraft with registration number A6-EWD was taxiing for a take-off en-route Dubai when its wing tip cut into the B737-400 aircraft parked on the apron of the domestic wing of the airport.

Narrating how the incident happened further, the source said one of the First Nation’s airplanes was taxiing from the runway to Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal Two (MMA2), to disembark passengers while the other airplane was taxing to take off to Port Harcourt Airport from the same terminal when the incident occurred.

On what may have caused the ground collision, the source explained that the pilot may have been misdirected by the marshallers, who directed the pilot to taxi to that part of the apron where the second aircraft was.

He said the marshaller directed the aircraft that had just landed at the same Gate 3 and that while the arriving airplane was trying to park at Gate 3, the two aircraft wings brushed each other. The airplane that was Port Harcourt-bound, he said had been parked on Gate 4 while the arriving aircraft was directed to Gate 3 of the same terminal.

He said that because of the damage caused by the incident, the two airplanes were grounded by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), for further investigation. Meanwhile, Saturday Independent learnt that Port Harcourt bound passengers, who were disembarked due to the incident, were given refunds by the airline.

The General Manager Public Affairs, NCAA, Mr Fan Ndubuoke, confirmed the incident.

According to Ndubuoke, explained that the incident occurred yesterday; Friday, when a first nation aircraft taxing to take off to Port Harcourt hit another stationed First Nation aircraft at MMA2 terminal. He stated that no passenger was hurt and that their fares were refunded to them while the incident was referred to AIB.

The Head of Media, Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Mr. Tunji Oketunbi, also confirmed the incident and - See more at: http://www.exlinklodge.com/2015/07/260-passengers-unhurt-as-first-nation.html#sthash.jcoR8447.dpuf

I dey come back abeg

cc lalasticlala ishilove

We thank God its not that much

tank God cos we don't need any plane crash news abeg. d boko haram bombings n killings is enuf bad news!