Panic as Azman aircraft fails to land in Kano

There was panic among 135 passengers on board Azman air after the Boeing 737 aircraft failed to land at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Daily Trust reports.

A passenger, Ibrahim Garba, said the airplane, which left Murtala Mohammad International Airport, Lagos at exactly 11.30pm, attempted to land at MAKIA at 12.55am but could not touch ground due to turbulent wind.

“The pilot attempted landing twice but failed. He was later directed to go to Katsina or Abuja and land there. Again, we went to Katsina State and the pilot could not make it there. We finally went to Abuja and landed safely.

“It was a terrible experience. The pilot wept seriously after we landed in Abuja. I am sure he was also shocked by the development,” he added.

Another passenger, Alhaji Habib Muhammad, said “The captain made an announcement that he was having difficulty to land due to heavy wind and promised to manage the situation.

“We spent more than 20 minutes waiting for next directive and later the pilot was directed to go to Abuja where we landed around 2am. We thank God.”

When contacted on phone, the Assistant General Manager of Azman Air, Engineer Nuruddeen Aliyu, confirmed the incident and said it was caused by heavy windstorm.

He said, “I was in the aircraft when the incident happened because I came back from South Africa and joined the aircraft that was involved in the incident in Lagos. I was not worried at all because I am familiar with such situation.”

He, however, said contrary to speculations, the aircraft went to Katsina airport because it was not among the alternative airports for MAKIA.

“It was not technical issue as many people think. It was purely a natural issue and when we went to Abuja, the pilot landed safely and when the situation stabilised, he return to MAKIA and landed safely around 5am,” he added.