Saturday, November 10, 2012

Panic as Arik aborts flight midway into take-off


AIR travellers panicked yesterday as an Arik Air flight from Abuja to Lagos was suddenly aborted while the plane was on the runway, about to take off, due to technical fault.

But the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) urged Nigerians not to entertain any fear over the security of flight operations in the country.

The spokesman of the organisation, Mr. Sam Adurogboye, said in Abuja that the advice became necessary following an incident yesterday morning involving an Arik Air flight from Abuja to Lagos.

He said the flight was aborted on the runway due to a technical fault, just before take –off at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Adurogboye gave assurance that NCAA was on top of the situation.

He said the aircraft involved developed a fault as it was about to take off from Abuja to Lagos.

Adurogboye said it was the duty of NCAA to ensure that the passengers in the plane and other Nigerians “are taken to their destinations safely.’’

“Our engineers are there on ground 24 hours to rectify any fault because safety is paramount to us.

“Passengers are always in a hurry particularly in Nigeria; if a plane develops a fault, it must be certified alright before passengers can be allowed to continue on their journey.

“Everywhere in the world, a plane has to be certified okay before it can be allowed to fly.

Therefore, we urge passengers to always be patience when it is necessary,” he said.

According to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), one of the passengers on board the Arik plane, said the pilot noticed an electrical fault and made a taxii back to the terminal building.

The Arik Airline Head of Communication, Mr. Ola Adebanji, told NAN that the company was trying to get in touch with its engineers in Abuja to know what exactly went wrong.

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