Economic Recession! Arik Shuts Operation

At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, it was observed that all the ticketing and reservation stands of the airline were closed and customers were directed to other carriers. Airport officials told Vanguard that the carrier had been having issues for some time and that these were affecting its smooth operations.The airline said in a statement that the development was caused by documentation issues relating to the renewal of its insurance policy. It said the delay in renewing the insurance policy was caused by the two-day holiday, which was declared by the Federal Government to celebrate the Eid-el-Kabir.

Arik said the suspension of flights might  continue for the next few days until the approval of a waiver on a priority basis by the National Insurance Commission for a new insurance company to renew the policy. It added that during the period of the disruption of operations, the management of the airline would be working hard to resolve the necessary documentation issues.

The statement read in part, “Arik Air, West and Central Africa’s largest airline, has alerted all air travellers of a temporary disruption to its operations pending approval of aircraft documentation related to insurance renewal. The airline said that it was working around the clock to resolve the necessary documentation, which has been a challenge due to the long weekend holidays. “At the present time, all flights of the airline have been cancelled for Tuesday, 13 of September, 2016, and the airline has stated that it would be getting in touch with passengers to provide an update on rescheduling of their flights.

“This situation is likely to continue for the next few days until such time that NAICOM approves a waiver on a priority basis for the new insurance company to renew the policy.”

The airline however advised its customers to visit either its website or any of its ticket offices to know the status of their flights before proceeding to airports.

Arik Air’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Michael Arumemi-Ikhide, said, “The airline wishes to advise and assure the public, its customers, stakeholders and partners that we are fully committed to returning to our normal operations and minimise any unfortunate inconvenience to our passengers.

“Where flights have been cancelled, the airline will notify passengers through SMS and in such cases, passengers will be accommodated on first available alternative flights as soon as normal flight operations resume. “The Group CEO apologised and appealed on behalf of the airline for the understanding of passengers, while it works diligently to resume normal operations at the earliest time.”

Aero and First Nation

The disruption of Arik’s operations is coming about two weeks after Aero Contractors Airlines Nigeria’s second largest commercial carrier, and First Nation Airlines announced the suspension of operations.

In the case of Aero, the airline had in a statement stated that the suspension was part of the strategic business realignment to reposition it and return it to the path of profitability. It explained that this business decision, which was as a result of the current economic situation in the country, had forced some other airlines to suspend operations or pull out of Nigeria.

For First Nation, the Director-General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Capt. Muhtar Usman, had explained that the decision was taken in order to ensure that the airline carried out the required maintenance of its aircraft.

The NCAA DG had said, “First Nation Airline on its part is in the middle of an engine replacement programme for one of its aircraft. Another aircraft is due for mandatory maintenance as allowed by the regulatory authority.

“In these circumstances, these airlines clearly cannot continue to undertake schedule operations, hence the inevitable recourse to self-regulatory suspension.”