The Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) has taken over Arik Air which has been going through financial straits in recent times, with the
The Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) has taken over Arik Air which has been going through financial straits in recent times, with the hope that the development would bring respite to the airline. The airline would now be managed by Capt. Roy Ukpebo Ilegbodu, a veteran aviation expert under the receivership of Mr. Oluseye Opasanya, SAN. The development is coming 24 hours after some aggrieved passengers stormed the airline demanding for refunds on flights cancelled. The airline has had unending battle with passengers over persistent flight delays and cancellations.
The statement read partly: “The myriad of issues confronting Arik Air of late ranges from confiscation of aircrafts due to non-payment of leases, frequent flight delays, constant fracas between Arik Staff and irate passengers at both local and international airports etc.
“During the last yuletide season, passengers were stranded in airports all over the country due to Arik’s incessant flight delays and cancellations, which negatively affected the preference they enjoy from passengers. You are all living examples of this.
“The airline is so overwhelmed to the extent that the worker’s wages are not paid for several months, leading to occasional confrontation between the management of Arik and different Aviation Unions in the country.
“It was Arik’s inability to pay its workers for seven months that forced the United Labour Congress (ULC) and Engineers Union to recently shut the offices of the Airline across the country causing untold hardship to thousands of travellers and an embarrassment to the aviation sector in the country.
“Besides owing workers’ salaries, the Airline has also not been remitting the taxes of workers to relevant bodies thus also defrauding the country. The Airline is also in perpetual default in its lease payments and insurance premium, leading to regular and embarrassing repossession of its aircrafts by Lessors. Various class actions are pending against the airline all over the world.
“We assure all stakeholders that the intervention is in the best interest of the general public, workers, creditors and other aviation interest groups”.
However, the management of Arik Air, through its Senior Vice President, Capt. Ado Sanusi has said it would challenge the taking over of the airline by AMCON in court.
“As responsible citizens, we have obeyed the court order, we will comply but I want to make it clear that we have a right to challenge the court order. In the coming days, we will make our position known. It is a court order and we can challenge it and we will challenge it to the highest court of authority, ” Sanusi said.
He added that while the legal battle would be on one front, the parties have agreed that Arik Air would continue to run without any disruption.
For this reason, the chairman of the airline, Joseph Arumemi-Ikhide got an invitation by the EFCC. Having satisfactorily answered the query, he left as briefly as he came.
