Nigeria’s oldest scheduled carrier Aero Contractors Airlines on Monday served a notice of temporary suspension of its scheduled passenger services operations, citing the challenging operating environment.
The suspension of flight services, according to the airline in a statement, will take effect on Wednesday, July 20, 2022.
The carrier, however, said maintenance activities at its Approved Maintenance Organisation (AMO) otherwise known as AeroMRO, the Approved Training Organisation (ATO) also known as Aero Training School, the Helicopter and Charter Services operations will not be affected.
The decision to temporarily suspend scheduled flight operations, the airline management said, was carefully considered given the fact that most of its aircraft are undergoing maintenance.
The development, the management said, resulted in its inability to offer a seamless and efficient service to our esteemed passengers.
The statement reads: ” Due to the impact of the challenging operating environment on our daily operations, the management of Aero Contractors Company of Nig. Ltd. wishes to announce the temporary suspension of its scheduled passenger services operations with effect from Wednesday, July 20, 2022.
‘’We are working to bring these aircraft back to service in the next few weeks, so we can continue to offer our passengers the safe, efficient, and reliable services that Aero Contractors is known for, which is the hallmark of Aero Contractors Company of Nig. Ltd.
“The past few months have been very challenging for the Aviation industry and the airline operators in particular. With the high cost of maintenance, skyrocketing fuel prices, inflation, and forex scarcity resulting in high foreign exchange rates. These are amongst the major components of airline operations.’’
The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) took over the management of Aero Contractors in February 2016 as the aviation company could not survive under the weight of its debt.
In January, AMCON appointed the former director of flight operations of Arik Air, Captain Abdullahi Mahmood, as the chief executive officer of Aero Contractors.