By Bobor Dan Kamara
Amid rumours about its air worthiness after the Lagos safe-landing saga, Air Sierra Leone (ASL) on Monday issued out a press release asserting that the crew only received a cockpit alert moment after it departed Mutala Muhammed International Airport on May 5 at 14:17, a reason it returned to the airport at 14:35 for a precautionary inspection, an exercise it said points to aviation best practice.
According to the release, the move was in accordance with global aviation best practices known as “air return.”
“Air return is said to be a proactive safety protocol used in the aviation industry to allow for immediate assessment of any technical notification, however minor,” the release added.
ASL went on to say that its crew acted with highest level of professionalism and care in an effort to prioritize passengers’ safety.
The release further stated that a preliminary check was conducted upon its return and the findings revealed a sensor false alarm with no risk.
ASL added that its flight later underwent a successful technical clearance by experts from its maintenance team and regulatory partners including the National Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) before safely resuming its journey and took off to Freetown again at 17:55 with all passengers onboard.
