Thieves Ransack Arik’s Aircraft At Lagos Airport, Cart Away Vital System Component
According to SaharaReporters, a serious security breach occurred at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
The Flight Management Computer, one of the primary subsystems of the Flight Management System, was stolen from an Arik Air aircraft, a Boeing 737-73V with registration number EI-ULN.
The FMS is a multi-purpose on-board navigation, performance, and aircraft operations computer that provides virtual data and operational harmony between closed and open aspects connected with a flight from pre-engine start and take-off to landing and engine shutdown.
According to aviation experts, the FMC is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in the United States.
The incident occurred at the Domestic Terminal II between 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday night and 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 20, 2022, according to reliable sources at the airport and Arik Air.
The thieves not only took the FMC, but also tampered with the pilot static cover and other sensitive sections of the plane, rendering the plane unfit for flight.
According to aviation specialists, the crime could only have been carried out by those with aircraft technical knowledge.
One aviation insider stated, “It is impossible for a novice to have effectively removed the FMC; that device was stolen by a professional.”
Flights that were supposed to take place aboard the plane were either canceled or postponed.
Eznis Airways LLC, an airline located in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, leased the plane to Arik.
Flights on all of the Mongolian company’s leased planes have been suspended since then.
Citizens and major stakeholders in the sector are concerned about a security breach at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
There had been recent reports of security breaches at the car park, with vehicles parked there purportedly being vandalized.
Remember how SaharaReporters highlighted how security at the airport’s domestic terminal appeared to be compromised due to defective technology being used to screen luggage of passengers.
The Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria’s security screeners at MMA Terminal Two were also revealed to be uncertified by the National Civil Aviation Authority to conduct the screening.
In 2019, passengers on a Port Harcourt-bound flight were terrified after a man climbed onboard the plane as it was ready to take off at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Ikeja.
The man unlawfully gained entry to the airside with a piece of hand luggage, according to a video filmed by one of the passengers in Lagos.
SaharaReporters earlier reported on a Nigerian woman who attempted to get into a Delta Air Line flight heading for the United States of America after circumventing all security checks at the airport’s international wing.
However, when she was about to board the plane, she was detained by security.
According to reliable sources, about 85 security employees from FAAN Aviation Security at the Lagos airport are NCAA screeners certified out of a total of 629.
