First Nation Airways has debunked claims of a bomb-scare aboard its flight FRN 101 enroute Abuja to Lagos on Tuesday morning.
The airline, in a statement on Tuesday, said rather, an unruly passenger on board the flight had caused some panic just after the aircraft was to take off.
The statement signed on behalf of the company by Mr. Luke Terver-Uzer, noted that the passenger caused some ruckus on the plane, which led to his being handed over to the security personnel at the airport by the officials of the airline.
It said, “A passenger by name Sadiaq Iliyasu on seat 8D became unruly after the aircraft had commenced taxiing and at the threshold claiming he had forgotten his phone.
“All efforts to prevail on him were abortive, hence, in accordance with our operating procedure, the captain of the flight returned the aircraft back to ramp to offload the passenger. The unruly passenger was then handed over to law enforcement agents at the airport.”
It explained that as a precautionary move, the aircraft was then searched in line with standard security procedure.
“It is important to clarify that the passenger did not have a check-in bag and the flight thereafter operated to Lagos safely,” the statement added.
The airline called on the regulatory authorities and law enforcement agencies to ensure that they applied sanctions against this type of unruly behaviour.
The statement noted, “We wish to state categorically that it was not a bomb scare. However, given the mood of the nation at this time, we appreciate the apprehension and reaction.
“We want to reassure all passengers that First Nation Airways employs industry best practices in all areas of her operations.”
