Pilot of Air Peace flight to Abuja from Lagos took immediate action when he saw cargo hold light flash in the cockpit, meaning that all was not well. The aircraft was at the holding point, waiting for the directive from the traffic control to take off. The light which flashed for 15 seconds sent his mind racing and he directed the cabin crew to check the cargo hold door.
They checked and found out that there was an attempt to open it. The Pilot who is the Captain in Command decided to delay the flight until further investigations were made to ensure that those who attempted to open the cargo compartment did not put incendiary device or any other dangerous object in the aircraft.
Safety check was carried out by concerned personnel and when the pilot was sure that there was nothing that could compromise safety, he took off.
Despite the delay, the passengers were satisfied that the pilot was thorough and they commended him and other members of the crew for taking that extra measure to ensure their safety.
The passengers praised the crew for their security consciousness and professionalism as it was confirmed later that it was suspected thieves that opened the cargo hold of the Flight 7138.
The aircraft was at the holding point on Runway 18R (A1) of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos at about 7.35pm on Thursday.
Corporate Communications Manager of Air Peace, Mr. Chris Iwarah confirmed the incident, saying the carrier’s crew acted in line with the high safety standards of the airline.
In a statement issued on Friday, Iwarah said: “We are sincerely grateful to all our wonderful guests on board Flight 7138 for their support, patience and cooperation throughout the precautionary security checks conducted by Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) squad, Federal Airport Authorities of Nigeria Aviation Security and our security team after suspected thieves opened the cargo hold of our aircraft holding for departure on Runway 18R (A1) of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos at about 7.35pm on Thursday, February 08, 2018.
“Pilot-in-Command, Capt. Adesola Arasi had to contact control tower when he was alerted by the light that came on in the cockpit suggesting that the cargo hold was opened for about 15 seconds and immediately shut.
“In line with our high security standards and the huge value we place on the lives of our guests and crew, Capt. Arasi insisted on having EOD squad check Flight APK 7138 before takeoff to be doubly sure nothing was deposited in the cargo hold by the suspected thieves to endanger the lives of our guests and crew.
“Our guests, who were fully briefed of the development by the pilot-in-command, were advised to disembark from the aircraft and board an Air Peace bus while the joint security operation by EOD, FAAN AVSEC and our security team lasted. The Lagos-Abuja flight was cleared by the security experts after exhaustive screening of the aircraft lasting about 30 minutes.
“The flight eventually took off at 9.30pm and safely landed in Abuja at about 10.23pm. Our satisfied guests commended the professionalism of Capt. Arasi and his team as well as the high safety standards of Air Peace.”
The airline, he assured, would continue to take all necessary m
