Providence showed up with showers of mercy about 11 am Monday  when a Boeing 737 aircraft belonging to Air Peace suffered a burst tyre while preparing for take-off at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos. About 105 passengers were aboard the aircraft from Lagos to Abuja. The incident forced the pilot to abort the flight.

The airline’s spokesman, Mr Christian Iwarah said no serious damage was done to the aircraft and no passenger was injured.

He said: “The incident happened around 11am as the aircraft was about to take off. The pilot immediately turned around and the passengers were disembarked.

“Another aircraft was provided for them and I can confirm to you that they arrived in Abuja safely a few hours ago.”

Reacting to the incident, the General Manager, Public Relations, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Mr Sam Adurogboye, said he was yet to confirm if the incident had been filed with the regulatory authority.

He, however, noted that the pilot acted according to the Standards and Recommended Practices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

It would be recalled that a potential plane crash was averted on Nov. 13, 2016 when an Arik Air aircraft lost one of its two engines mid-air with over 100 passengers on board.

The aircraft, a Boeing 737 departed from Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, for Jos when the pilot discovered that the plane had lost one of its engines during the flight.

The pilot immediately contacted the Lagos control tower, which granted him emergency landing status.