An Arik Air Boeing 737-700 operating flight W3 740 from Lagos to Port Harcourt on Wednesday was forced to divert to Benin Airport after the crew heard a loud bang from the aircraft’s left engine mid-flight.
The aircraft, with registration 5N-MJF, was already on descent into Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, when the incident occurred, prompting the pilots to take precautionary action and reroute to the nearest suitable airport.
Arik Air confirmed that the diversion was carried out safely and that no injuries were recorded among the 80 passengers and crew on board. All occupants disembarked normally on arrival in Benin.
According to the Airline, arrangements were immediately made to convey affected passengers to their final destination in Port Harcourt.
“We sincerely apologise to the affected Port Harcourt passengers whose journey has been disrupted. The safety and wellbeing of passengers is always our priority at Arik Air”, the Airline said in a statement.
The incident caused temporary disruption to the scheduled service, but Arik Air assured that safety protocols were strictly followed to ensure the protection of all on board.