‘False Fire Alarm, Hoarse Press Reports, Avoidable Panic in P/Harcourt Airport’–Allen Onyema, Chairman/CEO, Air Peace Airline Limited
*Says: “Safety of our Passengers, Crew and Equipment is our Number One Priority”
*Echoes: “Emergency Evacuation Procedure duly followed, Everyone disembarked without any Incident only to Discover that it was a False Alarm”
*States: “Fire Fighters by the Tower Did Not See Any Smoke nor Fire, likewise Passengers”
*Explain: “To prove our Fleet’s Airworthiness, that particular Aircraft was cleared by the Regulators to depart for Lagos less than an hour later”
*Warns: “Journalists should Stop Sensational Journalism, Always Verify your Facts before publication”
BY CLEM OKECHUKWU/AVIATION EDITOR, ABUJA, NIGERIA
IT is irresponsible journalism, beer parlour reportage, yellow and gutter journalism for a set of ‘pressmen’ to sit down in the comfort of their offices and begin to concoct lies, fabricate sensation and create panic where none exist, just for their own selfish interest. Not only did this violate the ethics of journalism, it brings the noble pen profession into opprobrium.
Clearing the air on the hoarse media reports by a section of the press and setting the records straight, the management of Air Peace Limited, Nigeria’s most traveler’s friendly airline debunked the information from the Port Harcourt airport, saying it I was a false alarm. They stated that the false fire alarm led to the evacuation of passengers on landing in Port Harcourt, Saturday, March 12, as same plane was cleared to embark on its flight to Lagos, by the relevant aviation agencies less than an hour later.
In a statement signed by the Chairman/CEO of Air Peace Limited, Allen Onyema, “The incident was caused by a false alarm. However, the safety of our passengers, crew and equipment is our number one priority, so the emergency evacuation procedure was duly followed and everyone disembarked without any incident only to discover that it was a false alarm.
According to Onyema: “As the Captain was taxing to go and park at the apron after landing, the tower informed him that there was smoke from the under belly of the aircraft thereby making the pilot to deploy the slides and all six doors for the passengers to be evacuated.
“The fire fighters who were called by the tower did not see any smoke nor fire, likewise passengers. The engineers, the NCAA and other agencies witnessed that there was no smoke nor fire. It was a false fire alarm that led to the entire situation, but Air Peace crew responded professionally in accordance with the books.”
The airline pacesetter also stressed that, “To prove the airworthiness of our fleet and that particular aircraft, the aircraft was cleared by the REGULATORS to depart for Lagos less than an hour later. The question here is that, if it was that of a faulty machine, would that have happened? We wish to put it on record that the safety of our passengers, crew and equipment is very central to our operations. What our pilot did was precautionary even though it turned out to be a false fire alarm. While harping on the need for caution on media reports, the customer relations expert insists.
‘Journalists should Stop Sensational Journalism’
Warns journalists on need to practice responsible journalism. His words: “It serves no one any good to engage in sensational journalism without cross-checking facts. We have proved to the world today that we are very capable of handling very efficiently emergency situations if they ever occur even though this one turned out to be a false alarm.“
