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PassionAir has broken its silence over allegations that one of its flights turned back mid-air due to fuel shortage, firmly denying the claims and calling them "false and misleading".
The domestic airline issued a statement on Saturday following widespread social media concern after passengers claimed their Accra-to-Takoradi flight was forced to return because there wasn't enough fuel to complete the journey.
However, PassionAir insists the incident had nothing to do with fuel levels, explaining that Flight OP122 returned to base after the captain received a technical warning in the cockpit. The airline said:
Approximately six (6) minutes after takeoff, the Captain elected to return to base due to an indication received in the flight deck not related to fuel.
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The aircraft landed safely in Accra, and our ground engineers immediately began diagnostics to address the issue.
READ ALSO: Terrifying moment passengers on Accra-Takoradi flight told plane can't reach destination
The airline stressed that all passengers were safely removed from the plane following standard procedures. After engineers found and fixed the problem, the aircraft was refuelled normally and resumed service as Flight OP122A without any further issues.
PassionAir expressed disappointment over what it called "unverified and inaccurate information" spreading online, reassuring the public that passenger safety remains their top concern.
The statement added:
We operate in strict compliance with standards set by our aviation regulator.
Background on mid air fuel shortage claims
The controversy began when passengers took to social media claiming they were told the plane lacked sufficient fuel.
One traveller wrote:
Just had the most terrifying experience with a domestic flight in Ghana. We boarded at 6:20am, took off and barely 15 minutes in, they announced we had to turn back to Accra. No clear reason. Only to be told on the ground that the plane didn't have enough fuel to reach Takoradi. A whole commercial flight with insufficient fuel.
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The airline has apologised to affected passengers for the disruption and thanked the public for their understanding.