A middle-aged man has been arrested at the Kotoka International Airport after lighting cigarettes on board a Qatar Airways passenger flight.

Flight attendants were seen in heated exchanges just before the flight which had made a stop in Abidjan could take off, causing delays and a scare for the scores of passengers on board.

The flight from Doha, Qatar, had made a stop in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire, for a number of passengers travelling to that country to disembark.

The suspect in question, without any transit visa for Cote D'Ivoire, had also sought to disembark, ostensibly to go and smoke but was prevailed upon not to.

He subsequently eased into a washroom on the flight, where he is suspected to have smoked. The plane’s smoke alarms failed to sound, however the smell of tobacco was thick in the air.

He returned to his seat soon thereafter, and his co-passenger with whom he shared seats, warned him against the act as it offended public safety rules.

He ignored the good counsel and headed for the washroom once more, raising suspicion he may have tampered with the smoke alarm. Flight crew had to conduct extensive investigation before the flight resumed, causing considerable delay for passengers as well.

He was handed over to officers from the Ghana Police Service.