The controversy is not unexpected as there are fears that the federal government may probe aviation authorities as well as the airline over the incident that has been described as a national embarrassment.
On Saturday, a boy was discovered in the wheel of an Arik Air flight at the Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos. The flight originated from Benin Airport in Edo State.
Arik, the biggest domestic Nigerian airline, had blamed the breach on FAAN.
Its managing director, Chris Ndulue, while expressing shock, described the incident as a security breach, “We are worried by the incessant security lapses at our airports. We are appealing to FAAN to immediately address the problem”.
In his explanation, Arik’s Communication Manager, Adebanji Ola, said the teenager sneaked into the aircraft main wheel of Flight W3 544, departing Benin-City airport for Lagos at 9.00am.
“The pilot of the aircraft notified the control tower when he noticed the presence of a strange boy in the bush about 200 – 300 meters at the end of runway 23,” he said.
“The control tower informed the Captain that they were sending security men to the place to arrest the boy, adding that the pilot was told he had been cleared for take-off as the situation was under control.
“As the captain was making his final turn, preparatory for take-off, a cabin crew called his attention to the information by some of the passengers that they saw a boy running towards the airplane.
He added that “The First Officer confirmed that they had observed it earlier and alerted the control tower which responded that they have sent the patrol team to arrest the boy.
“The Captain again reported to the control tower and was informed that the situation was under control and that he had been cleared for take-off.”
But the General Manager, Corporate Communications of FAAN, Yakubu Dati, criticised the airline for being economical with the truth.
Dati said in the statement that “The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria read with great dismay the statement released by Arik Airlines about the stowaway found on board Arik’s flight 544 from Benin to Lagos on Saturday 24 August, 2013, in which FAAN was unfairly indicted while the airline took no responsibility whatsoever for such a serious security breach.
He blamed Arik Air for negligence that led a teenager to stow away in its aircraft that brought him from Benin to Lagos at the weekend.
It expressed the determination of the Nigerian aviation authorities to probe how the teenage boy managed to hide inside the undercarriage of the plane.
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