[Kurt A]

Sparks fly as cigarette triggers in-flight scare

A ringing smoke alarm alerted fearful passengers to a fire caused by a cigarette smoke in an Etihad Airways plane bathroom.

Out of the 231 passengers on the flight on March 13, from Dhaka to Abu Dhabi, nobody was harmed as the fire was hastily extinguished, according to the Khaleej Times.

The Vice President of Etihad Airways Corporate Communications, Iain Burns, explained “a smoke detector alarm went off in one of the aircraft’s toilets because an inconsiderate passenger had lit a cigarette.”

“The cigarette lit some toilet paper which caused some small flames, but these were swiftly extinguished by our cabin crew.”

Although the passenger was banned from future travel with Etihad, there was no arrest made upon arrival at Abu Dhabi International Airport.

- etravel