The management of Arik Air on Thursday explained the reason for its Boeing 737-700 aircraft, operating flight W3 720 from Lagos to Abuja, experienced an air return.
The airline in a press statement, said the flight detected an indication light which suggested a potential fire in the aircraft cargo area.
It noted that the incident occurred approximately 10 minutes after takeoff, prompting the Captain of the flight to adhere to standard operating procedures by initiating an air return and requesting priority landing clearance from the Control Tower.
“Upon landing safely in Lagos, passengers were disembarked and the aircraft underwent thorough inspections to ensure its airworthiness for future flight operations.
“Subsequent investigation by our maintenance team determined that the indication light was triggered by a false alarm,” the statement by Adrew Odion said.
It added, “We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience experienced by our esteemed passengers as a result of this incident.”