Flight operations disrupted at Abuja airport after private jet suffers tyre burst

Flight operations at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja were temporarily suspended on Thursday after a private jet experienced a tyre burst while landing.

According to airport officials, the incident led to a brief closure of the runway to ensure safety and allow emergency teams to clear the aircraft. The swift response from aviation authorities helped restore normal operations shortly afterward, minimizing disruption to scheduled flights.

According to aviation authorities, the aircraft was later cleared from the runway, allowing normal flight operations to resume soon after.

Sources confirmed that the event took place around 2 p.m., causing a temporary disruption of flight activities.

The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Michael Achimugu, verified the occurrence, explaining that the interruption was due to a private aircraft’s burst tyre during landing. He added that operations had since returned to normal.

“I was informed that a private aircraft experienced a tyre burst on landing. But it has been cleared off the runway and operations are back to normal,” Achimugu said.

Thursday’s brief shutdown follows previous incidents at the Abuja airport that resulted in temporary runway closures. The airport was last shut down for maintenance months earlier, a move that caused flight delays at the time.

Authorities have not yet released an official statement regarding the cause of the tyre burst or whether an investigation will be conducted.