The tragedy was again averted yesterday, 7th November 2019 as a Boeing 737 aircraft with registration number JQ2324 operated by Azman Air made a u-turn because the crewmen sighted a smoke which was later found to be from shisha smoke.
The aircraft was en routing Lagos-Abuja with 120 passengers but had to make a return ten (10) minutes into the flight after smoke detector alerted the crew who rushed to put it off.
The incident happened around 4 pm and was gathered from the officials that, a female passenger was said to have smoked the Shisha in the lavatory of the aircraft and few minutes to take off the toilet was engulfed in a fire causing pandemonium in the aircraft.
One of the passengers who pleaded anonymity disclosed that “The female passenger was caught by a member of the cabin crew who politely stopped her, telling her it was a non-smoking aircraft but five minutes after, smoke erupted from the lavatory, forcing the pilot to make an air return.”
The pilot had to return to the Murtala Muhammed Airport domestic terminal when the attempt by the cabin crew to extinguish the fire was not successful.
The aircraft, however, landed safely at the airport while fire trucks were mobilized to put off the smoke entirely.
Although the lady has been reportedly arrested and handed over to the police domiciled at the airport, the pilot in command has been confirmed to have a request for a comprehensive audit to ensure the aircraft could still fly.