An aero contractor Lagos-Kano flight had to return back to the Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) on Sunday following a bird strike incident.
An official of the fire service at the airport said that the incident happened around 2pm.
The official, who asked not to be named, said it was later discovered that the aircraft suffered a bird strike mid-air and lost one of its engines.
“You know it (aircraft) can’t go with one engine while carrying passengers. It landed back and drop the passengers and after some check up it left but this time without passengers. Another flight was brought which then carried the passengers to Lagos,” he said.
The management of the airline in a statement confirmed the development, apologising to its passengers for the inconveniences.
The statement from the airline read: “Aero Contractors regrets the inconveniences suffered by our passengers on flight N2 142 which occurred this morning 21st March, 2021 on the Kano to Lagos flight due to a bird strike on the engine while taking off.
“For precautionary and safety reasons, Aero Contractors had to make arrangements to ferry the aircraft back to Lagos to enable our engineers undertake a check on the engines and secure the approval of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) before returning it to service.
“When the Captain heard the sound of the bird strike, he made a safety and professional decision to return back to land in Kano, despite all the engines being normal and within limit.