Abuja, Jul 20 (IANS): A man climbed onto the wing of a plane as it prepared for takeoff at an airport in Nigeria's Lagos city, causing panic among passengers, authorities said.

The incident happened on Friday at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport on an Azman Air flight. The aircraft was reportedly at a holding bay expecting clearance for take-off when the man was seen climbing onto the wing, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.

The man, who has not been identified, walked towards the aircraft on the runway and was spotted by the pilot, who slowed down and later turned off the engine as the man continued to wander around the aircraft, Azman Air said in a statement.

He then jumped onto a wing of the plane and tried to access the cabin, the airline said. The pilot radioed the tarmac to report the incident, according to the airline.

A video taken by a passenger on the aircraft shows the man moving around the wing of the plane as frightened passengers called on the crew to open the exit doors for them to disembark due to safety concerns.

The man was later taken into custody and was being questioned, said Nigeria's airport authority.

The incident did not delay the flight that was headed to Port Harcourt in Nigeria's Niger Delta. However, passengers and crew members disembarked for another round of security checks, the airline said.