A Qatar Airways aircraft carrying 248 passengers made an emergency landing at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Friday night after developing a technical fault while in the air.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency said the aircraft also had 12 crew members on board when the problem occurred within Nigerian airspace, prompting distress alerts and an immediate emergency response.
In a preliminary report, LASEMA said it activated the state’s emergency plan after receiving the distress call through its emergency lines.
“Following distress alerts received at the Command and Control Centre in Alausa, Ikeja, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency promptly activated the State’s Emergency Response Plans,” the report stated.
The report was signed by the Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, who said the quick response helped prevent what could have been a major aviation incident.
Emergency landings are usually carried out when unplanned technical faults occur during a flight, with pilots alerting the control tower to guide the aircraft to safety.
Eyewitnesses at the airport described tense moments as emergency responders were positioned along the runway while passengers prepared for the unexpected landing.
LASEMA said its response team arrived to discover that the aircraft had already made a forced landing due to technical issues.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the immediate cause of the incident was technical issues suffered by the distressed aircraft,” the agency said.
The agency praised the pilot for his calm handling of the situation.
“The pilot executed a safe landing on the runway at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport with LASEMA response teams and other emergency responders on standby,” the statement added.
After the landing, the aircraft was inspected by the pilot and engineering crew before being moved to the apron for further checks and repairs.
“All passengers of the distressed aircraft were evacuated safely, and no casualties were reported,” LASEMA confirmed.
The agency added that there was no major damage to the aircraft and that recovery operations had been completed.
“The aircraft has been secured on the apron, recovery activities have been completed, and the rescue operation has been safely concluded,” the statement said.
Emergency responders at the scene included officials from LASEMA’s Command and Control Centre, LASAMBUS, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority also confirmed the incident. Its spokesperson, Michael Achimugu, said, “I can confirm that there was an air return. Details will be communicated later.”
As of the time of filing this report, Qatar Airways had not issued an official statement on the incident.
