Arik Air risks being sanctioned by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) over the dead stowaway man found in the main wheel of its Airbus A345-500 aircraft over the weekend. It is believed that Arik Air might have flown the dead man on a round trip from Lagos to New York, which is the route where the Airbus A345-500 aircraft was deployed to operate before it was eventually discovered in Lagos that it had started decomposing. The discovery of the decomposing body by Arik Air engineers who were checking the aircraft in preparation for a flight has raised serious questions on the state of safety of Nigerian airlines and airport. It has also forced stakeholders to raise such queries as to what could stop the planting of a bomb in the belly or cargo compartment of a Nigerian aircraft, if a dead man could remain in the main wheel of an Arik Air flight undetected for days. Worried by the negative publicity to the image of the country, it was learnt that NCAA has summoned both the management of Arik Air, and Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to explain what led to the security breaches that allowed the stowaway man inside the aircraft without being spotted. "It is very clear that there were security lapses at the ramp area where the aircraft is usually parked before take-off, which could have allowed the stowaway to sneak in," stated Daniel Atam, a passenger, at the Lagos international airport. "It is either there was collaboration between the man and the airline ground staff, or even those of other security personnel around because that ramp area is usually restricted to some people. But the weightier question is: what if he was a suicide bomber?” he also stated. The security of the inner ring of the airport, which included the tarmac, airside and the runway, among others, is usually managed by FAAN while the responsibility for the security of the outer ring, which included the ramp area where the aircraft was parked, is in the hands of airlines. There are also suggestions that the stowaway could have gained entrance through the several porous access gates within the airport, thus necessitating the questioning of FAAN security men who usually overlook persons entering the airport through the Shasha area of Lagos and some other areas with collapsed fences. Yakubu Dati, spokesperson for FAAN told journalists that the agency is currently reviewing footages of the CCTV system and airside security operations with a view to identifying the gaps and personnel failure, if any, in order to take remedial actions following the latest stowaway incidence. "FAAN has intensified efforts at improving security and safety at both land and airside through the installation of high tech screening machines, CCTV surveillance cameras and patrol teams," Dati stated. "The authority is assuring all travelling passengers of safety of lives and property throughout the nation’s airport," he also stated. Aside the usual space for the aircraft tyres, the undercarriage compartment of the Airbus A345 is usually big enough to accommodate a person. But experts have consistently warned that survival rate is usually rare as the compartment is never pressurised meaning that the absence of oxygen over a long stretch of flight hours could result in the death of the stowaway. And then there is also the high risk of a person being crushed by the wheels.Sun
