The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Arik Air

  • Arik, FAAN, NAMA get two- week to settle debt crisis

    The Federal Government has given Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and Arik Air two weeks to resolve all issues relating to the alleged N12.5 billion indebtedness.

    The Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika also charged concerned parties to report back to him after two weeks, a resolution on amounts owed, payment plans and the way forward.

    A statement issued by the Deputy Director of Press of the ministry, James Odaudu, said the minister gave the order during a meeting with management of Arik Air in Abuja.

    Commenting on the indebtedness, the minister said: “the issue of alleged indebtedness by Arik Air which has led to disagreement with some trade unions within the regulatory agencies is highly regrettable.

    “The government will not condone lawlessness within the industry. All airline operators must conform to industry rules and regulations which includes payment of applicable fees and fines as at when due”.

    The minister noted that the well-being of an airline is measured by its ability to pay for services rendered to it.

    He added: “The goal of the present government is to develop an aviation industry that is founded on the principles of safety and security of not only the regulators and airline operators, but also passengers and their luggage, while also putting in place polices that would encourage the growth of domestic airlines.”

     

  • Passengers stranded as aviation unions grounds Arik Air over N12.5b debt

    • Arik Air accuses Union, FAAN workers of taking laws into their hands.
    Hundreds of Arik Air passengers were on Wednesday stranded at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT), Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos following the grounding of its operations by aviation unions over alleged debts running to the tune N12.5 billion owed the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
    Arik Air schedule flights for the day were disrupted by the unions under the aegis  of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and National Union of Pensioners (NUP).
    Most of the passengers contacted decried the inability of the management of Arik Airline to brief them ahead of the situation saying that they only got to the airport and were confronted with such a situation thus making them stranded for the  alleged indebtedness of the airline.
    It was  observed that security personnel from the Nigerian Police Force, Murtala Muhammed Airport Command prevailed on the protesting workers not to escalate the protest .Speaking on the picketing of Arik Air, Vice Chairman, National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Comrade Idowu Adesola said that the picketing was all about the refusal of Arik Airline to pay its N12.5 billion debt owed to FAAN.

    Comrade Adesola said Arik Airline would only be allowed to operate if the airline pays the sum of N7 billion with a promise that it would upset the remaining balance in a fixed date.

    He said: “It is all about Arik Air and all other debtors owing FAAN at the detriment of FAAN because FAAN had to have its revenue coming in by making all the necessary things available for aviation stakeholders and if those provisions are made, they need to pay for what they are utilising.

    “Now Arik Air is owing FAAN N12.5 billion, it was supposed to be N5.8 billion but they denied N3.4 billion on invoice rating. Now that it is N12.5 billion, they are not ready to pay and they are telling everybody that they are even bigger than the government, it is not just FAAN alone, they owe FAAN, NCAA and even NAMA  and they owe some other people including their workers, they just paid their March salary recently which is not too good for somebody who has worked. So they believe that if Buhari is changing things, they are not ready to go along with Buhari to change things.”We as workers we want to help Buhari to make changes for things to progress. In fact, I want to tell you that the bay out there, they (Arik Air) are not paying for it which is meant for National Carrier and presidency is not even looking into it, we are just talking about landing and parking charges as well as other facilities, if we are to talk of the bayn the money would have been more than that, they are not ready to do anything, they are flying free, they are landing free and they say if we come to them we will be crushed but God is with us and we will defeat and prevail over Arik Air.

    “The negotiation is still on-going but if they can put down N7billion, we will allow them to operate with conditions that as soon are they going to pay up so that Buhari change and TSA matters can be put in place which will also help workers in FAAN.”One of the passengers contacted said that he was disappointed because he never knew he would be stranded at the airport.

    The passenger who refused to have his name mentioned in print said that he was travelling to Port-Harcourt at 11:00am noting that nobody had told them while Arik’s operations were grounded.

    He said: “No one has said a word, not even from the management of the airline or ticket officers. This has been their nature. At least, they should have sent a text last night so that we can be abreast of the situation. I had to buy another ticket from Medview Airline at N40,200 and for those who can not afford it, what do you expert them to do.”

    Meanwhile responding to the unions picketing, PR & Communications Manager of Arik Air, Mr. Adebanji Ola said that the union workers blocked their operations at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT).

    Mr. Ola said: “The action by the workers’ union is connected with the long-standing and unsubstantiated claim by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) of spurious indebtedness of the airline to the agency which is now before a Federal High Court in Lagos at the instance of FAAN.

    “For several months, the management of Arik Air and FAAN have been meeting to reconcile payment accounts between the two institutions. The reconciliation process is still ongoing until the latest actions by the union.

    “This is not the first time that FAAN workers’ union will be taking the laws into their hands by disrupting operations of Arik Air.

    “The current situation is deeply out of control of Arik Air and the management of the airline has been compelled to suspend all domestic operations for today.

    “This will remain in force until such a time the unfortunate situation is resolved. Arik Air sincerely apologize for the inconveniences the FAAN workers’ union action may have caused its esteemed passengers. We live to serve the needs of the people of the great nation Nigeria.

    “We look forward to working collaboratively with FAAN and other aviation agencies to resolve the impasse and return to our core purpose of providing essential world class services to the people of Nigeria.”
  • Shortage of aviation fuel hampers domestic flight operations 

    Shortage of aviation fuel hampers domestic flight operations 

    Domestic flights were Tuesday hampered by limited supply of aviation fuel otherwise known as Jet A -1 forcing some carriers including Arik Air to delay and cancel some flights.

    The limited supply has persisted for some days according the spokesman of Arik Air, Mr Ola Adebanji.

    In statement Tuesday Arik Air said: “The limited supply of JET A1 (aviation fuel) across the country in the last few days has greatly hampered our flight operations.

    “With over a hundred flights daily, this limited supply of aviation fuel has resulted, regrettably, into flight delays and sometimes outright cancellations.

    We appeal to our valued passengers to bear with us at this time even as we remain committed to providing safe and comfortable flight experience.

    “We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience our passengers may have suffered due to the fuel shortage.”

    But, other operators including Air Peace and DANA Air are not affected by the scarcity of aviation fuel.

    According to an official of Air Peace, flights operations have remained normal in the last few days.

    DANA Air according to its spokesman, Kingsley Okwudili Ezenwa is not affected by the scarcity of aviation fuel.

    Ezenwa said a contingency plan has been put in place by the airline to mitigate any disruption in the supply of aviation fuel.

    The DANA Air official said: “So far, the scarcity of aviation fuel has not affected our flights. From our operations coordinates everything is normal.

    In the next few days our operations will not be affected.

    But, if the supply challenge intensifies, we have put a contingency plan in place to ensure we get supply of the product.”

    It was not clear whether other operators including: Medview Airlines, First Nation Airways , Overland Airways , AZMAN Air , Aero and others are affected by the scarcity of aviation fuel .

     

  • Arik Air begins flight to Gabon

    Arik Air begins flight to Gabon

    ARIKAir has introduced Lagos to Libreville, Gabon, flight, en route Port Harcourt.

    Its maiden flight took place at the weekend from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

    Speaking at the ceremony, Arik Air’s Chief Commercial Officer Mr. Suraj Sundaram explained that there had not been any direct flight between Nigeria and Gabon for years.

    Sundaram noted that direct flight connection between the two countries was important because it would increase trade ties.

    “Nigerians from the Southeast travel to Libreville on regular basis and we also have corporations that are dominant in Nigeria, which transact business in Gabon because both are oil producing countries.

    “So, there is a lot of traffic between the two points. It is in the interest of the two countries that there should be direct flight services,” he said.

    He also explained how Arik Air intended to operate the new route, where it deployed the newest aircraft in its fleet.

    “We start every route as we have done for West Africa.

    “We started all routes with three frequencies a week, slowly expanding it based on demand, we move to five frequencies, then daily frequencies.

    “Again, based on demand, some markets are serviced two or three times a day as Lagos-Accra, Ghana.

    “So, these are plans we have laid over the past 10 years and we continue to do so with route expansion and aircraft acquisition to expand into more and more destinations globally, including the African continent,” Sundaram added.

    According to him, Arik Air has planned the flight in such a way that there is a late evening departure from Lagos, which will enable domestic flights to come into Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt to make the necessary connections.

    Gabonese Ambassador to Nigeria Mr Corentine Hervo-Akendengue hailed the airline’s decision to extend its operations to the Central African nation.

    He said Arik Air’s great vision to connect West African nations and open the route between Nigeria and Gabon would improve bilateral relations and boost commerce between the two countries.

    Nigerian Ambassador to Gabon Mr Bassey Archibong said the decision to operate to Gabon from Nigeria by Arik was what thousands of Nigerians living in the country had been yearning for.

  • Arik Air reschedules Lagos-New York flight over winter storm

    Arik Air reschedules Lagos-New York flight over winter storm

    Following weather advice received from JFK International Airport New York, Arik Air said yesterday it is rescheduling its Lagos – New York flight tentatively for today.

    The flight was earlier scheduled for Friday January , 22, 2016.

    The 48-hour postponement, according to Ola Banji, the airline’s spokesman, is intended to allow the dangerous winter storm (Jonas) and snow condition to clear before the flight’s entry into the United States airspace.

    Arik Air, he said, regrets any inconvenience caused by the postponement affirming that the  safety of passengers is of upper-most to the airline.

    Meanwhile, major airlines anticipating a major snowstorm have canceled at least 3,014 flights .

    According to flight tracking site FlightAware many airlines  have reported cancellations .

    They include: American Airlines (789 flights canceled); Southwest (492); ExpressJet (194); Republic (171); United (166);  Delta (147);  Mesa (111) and JetBlue (88) among  others.

    Airports reporting cancellations include Charlotte-Douglas International (396 canceled flights); Washington Reagan National (181); Baltimore-Washington International (167); Washington Dulles International (158); Raleigh-Durham International (123); New York LaGuardia (118); Hartsfield-Jackson International-Atlanta (112) and Chicago O’Hare International (107) among others.

    The US National Weather Service is forecasting the storm “will impact a large portion of the East Coast from the southern Appalachians through the Mid-Atlantic states from Friday into the weekend.

    “Snowfall totals may exceed two feet in portions of these areas, including the Baltimore and Washington DC metropolitan areas.”

    In advance of the storm, several airlines offered ticket-holders for flights the opportunity to change flights without penalty.

    In American Airlines’ case, passengers making flight changes will have the ticket-reissue charge waived for one ticket change.

    Southwest Airlines had previously announced it will cancel almost 400 flights systemwide .

    Delta Air Lines preemptively canceled 120 flights in the Southeast region and is expected to cancel more for the Washington DC and New York region as the storm progresses.

     

  • Passenger dies on Owerri-Lagos flight

    Passenger dies on Owerri-Lagos flight

    A middle-aged man aboard Arik Air’s Owerri-Lagos flight has been confirmed dead by doctors on arrival at the Lagos Airport, the airline disclosed Wednesday.

    His body has been deposited in the mortuary by the Police while investigation into the immediate cause of death is ongoing.

    According to a statement by the airline, the passenger boarded the flight from Owerri in the company of a relative.

    The passenger was said to have shown signs of uneasiness midway into the flight.

  • Arik Air mulls listing in NSE in 2017

    Arik Air mulls listing in NSE in 2017

    Arik Air yesterday said it has completed the process for its private placement for investors scheduled for first quarter of next year.

    It said the Initial Public Offer (IPO) for the listing of the airline at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) is billed for 2017.

    Its Managing Director, Mr Chris Ndulue who spoke to reporters at a briefing to mark the ninth anniversary of the airline in Lagos also spoke of plans by the airline to expand its operations on regional routes to Abidjan in Cote d’ Ivoire and Dakar in Senegal this month.

    He  said in the first quarter of next year, the carrier will commence flight operations into Libreville in Gabon in addition to launching flights on the Lagos – Milan route in Rome.

    He said the airline has flown over 17.304,741 passengers  on both domestic, regional and intercontinental routes in the last nine years of its operation, adding that the carrier has struggled to keep its operations afloat in the air transport sector in spite of its many challenges.

    According to him, the airline has launched a customised domestic travel insurance for passengers in partnership with two indigenous firms.

  • Arik Air resumes flight services to Benin Airport

    Arik Air resumes flight services to Benin Airport

    Arik Air, on Thursday announced the resumption of its flights to Benin Airport with effect from Sept. 6.

    This followed the re-opening of the airport by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

    The Airline Head, Public Affairs, Mr Ola Adebanji, disclosed this in a statement issued in Lagos.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Benin Airport was temporarily closed by FAAN on June 20, to facilitate rehabilitation works on the runway.

    The closure was initially scheduled to last for 20 days but was further extended by the authority.

    The statement said the Arik Air would operate one flight each from both Lagos and Abuja into Benin on Sunday.

    It explained that it would thereafter revert to its normal schedule as from Monday, Sept. 7.

  • Drug trafficking: NDLEA invites Arik Air crew members

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has invited the entire crew of Arik Air flight W3101 that left the country for London Heathrow Airport on Monday for questioning.

    This followed the NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Ahmadu Giade’s promise to carry out elaborate investigation into the case.

    According to the spokesman of the agency, Mr. Mitchel Ofoyeju, the latest Range Rover car belonging to the prime suspect parked at the airline’s premises has also been moved to the NDLEA office as exhibit.

    He said the entire crew members including some support staff that worked on the flight before it departed Lagos are currently before narcotic investigators at the Ikoyi Headquarters of the NDLEA.

    They include two pilots and members of the cabin crew comprising an Australian and a South African.

    The invitation by the agency was swiftly complied with by the management of Arik Air.

    The crew members were conveyed to the NDLEA office in an official bus belonging to Arik Air.

    This is part of ongoing investigation to determine their level of involvement in the smuggling of 20 kg of cocaine found with Chika Egwu Udensi, a member of the cabin crew in London.

     

  • Arik Air staff caught with ‘cocaine’ in London

    A male cabin crew member of Arik Air was on Monday night arrested at Heathrow Airport, London, by the United Kingdom Border Force for allegedly possessing items suspected to be banned substance.

    The airline, according to its spokesman, Mr. Ola Adebanji , is presently carrying out private investigation to determine how the cabin crew member came about the banned substance.

    Investigations revealed that the cabin crew member was caught with a substance weighing 2.76 kilogramme and suspected to be cocaine.

    Adebanji said Arik Air will also cooperate fully with UK authorities and other appropriate agencies in their investigations.

    He said, “The airline again reaffirms its commitment to the fight against drug and illicit substances’ trafficking and will not tolerate the use of any of its aircraft or crew for the courier of banned items and substances.

    “Arik Air carries out very stringent checks on all members of staff and its travelling guests ahead of all flights.

    “The airline will continue to focus its attention on measures to prevent the possibility of any future similar incidents.

    “Arik Air is a responsible Nigerian company always seeking to maintain and uphold the integrity and proud reputation of the nation.”