A MAN cleared of threatening to blow up an airliner has today pledged to get his job and his life back.

Tayyab Subhani, 30, returned to his Brierfield home after 63 days in custody since he was arrested at Stansted airport.

Having resigned from his job at the Morrison’s store in Nelson, Mr Subhani, who also lost his taxi licence after his arrest, said: “I’d love to have all that back.”

Mr Subhani and his friend, Mohammed Safdar, 42, from Nelson, had been in Pakistan to bury Mr Safdar’s late mother when their Pakistan International Airlines flight from Lahore to Manchester was diverted to Stansted on May 24.

Their trial, at Chelmsford Crown Court, ended on Thursday after three weeks when inconsistent evidence prompted Judge Charles Gratwicke to order the jury to find the men not guilty.

Mr Subhani, who attended Walter Street Primary School and Mansfield High School, said: “I’m just very, very happy, to be honest, that his case is over and done with.

“The trial itself, going to court every morning, was very difficult.

“I’ve never been to jail before, it was my first time. It was very, very difficult for me but you have to get through it – you can’t run out.

“You just have to put your head down and get on with it.

“We didn’t know what was going to happen to us. They just took us out of the aeroplane and straight to jail.”

Mr Subhani was greeted at his Townley Street home by his wife Bushra Ilyas, 25, his mum Farzana Kauser, 54, his brother Habib Subhani, 32, and his nieces Duaa Fatima Subhani, three, and Duaa Amina Subhani, two.

Speaking about the pair’s time in jail, Mr Subhani said: “It never crossed our minds that we would have to stay there though, because we were totally innocent from day one.

“We knew that God would help us.

“My family are very pleased to have me back but they have suffered a lot. My wife lost her job as a care worker in Nelson so it’s been a big loss financially for us as well.

“I’m just a normal person and I just want to live a normal life.”

Despite being found innocent, Mr Subhani said he ‘didn’t want to disclose anything that happened on that day’.

He added: “But I don’t regret anything because I didn’t do anything.

“I wouldn’t blame anything on the authorities.

“I wouldn’t say anything bad about the police, the prosecution service or anything.

“They just did their job. They were misled.”