Aviation

AMCON sets up new airline to recover Arik’s debts

Published

3 years ago

March 31, 2021

Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria has said that in order to recover its huge debts from Arik Air, it injected over N375 billion in the airline and established another carrier, NG Eagle, expected to run along with Arik Air.

AMCON said it had sustained Arik Air operations since 2017 when it took over in order to stabilise the aviation industry and save jobs.

After its debts recovery, it hinted that it might sell NG Eagle to private investors or through the stock exchange.

Arik Air Receiver Manager, Mr. Kamilu Omokide, in an interview with THISDAY, said, “AMCON came into Arik in February 2017, during the economic recession. At that time, Arik did not have operational funds.

“The workers faced an uncertain future. All the aircraft were grounded because their insurance premium had expired; that at a time the airline did not operate because of insurance.

“Before AMCON came, Lufthansa, which provided technical service to the airline, had walked away. The airline was no more creditworthy to the extent that fuel suppliers shunned the airline.

“It was only MRS that allowed credit to the airline and it had a maximum of N33 million. This was too small for an airline of that size of Arik. So there was no fuel to operate the flights.”

Omokide, who was seconded to Arik by AMCON, said the airline would be operated along with NG Eagle, at least till the end of 2021, adding that with the support of AMCON, plans had been concluded to acquire three aircraft for Arik through wet leasing.

He said, “Arik does not plan to get out of business. It will operate side-by-side with NG Eagle for a while. We have been able to access wet leases and we have been able to run them very professionally. AMCON is not taking all the planes. We have a plan to bring three more planes with the support of AMCON on wet lease, ACMI.

“We are not rushing to kill Arik. We cannot pull all of our aircraft from Arik. Arik will be sustained throughout this year. Arik has a very big space at its headquarters that can take in four airlines on a good arrangement where costs can be shared.

“So Arik has huge facility; it has good workers who are experienced and we have been training staff since AMCON took over, something that was rare in the past. In fact, we have exposed the workers to all kinds of training. Our pilots are some of the best in the industry. Experience is very important,” he added.

He said Arik Air would have gone under without the intervention of AMCON in 2017, noting that the corporation adopted a different strategy in Arik, otherwise, it would have closed the company and sold the assets.

However, he said because of the sensitive nature of the aviation industry and the critical role of the sector as a catalyst to the nation’s economy, it decided to sustain the airline’s operations.

He stated that when AMCON took over, many of its aircraft were overseas on mandatory maintenance because there was no money to bring them back.

He added that creditors were closing in on the airline, with flight cancellation as high as 40 per cent to the extent that passengers mobbed the headquarters of the airline demanding refund of their fares.

“So, the decision of AMCON to intervene was nationally imperative in order to save the airline because of the critical role it was playing; to stabilise the industry and to rescue our funds. AMCON realised that it would take a lot of stabilisation and decided to take its own planes and move them to NG Eagle,” he said.

He said NG Eagle would be a formidable airline, which would eventually be sold to either government or other investors.

According to him, AMCON will treat the NG Eagle as a private sector initiative.

“If the government decides to buy it, that will be good; or we go for the private sector option or we sell it through the stock exchange,” he added.

Omokide said AMCON might not repair all the aircraft it inherited.

He, however, said the corporation had identified those it would repair, and it would either sell the Airbus A340-500 or convert them to cargo planes.

“We do not think we can repair all the planes we met on the ground. We have identified the ones we can repair and sell the other. We plan to sell the A340-500 or convert it to cargo planes. One of the two A340-500 is being preserved. So we are looking at options of cargo,” he said.

Aviation

Air Peace gets court order to answer queries on aircraft operations

Published

3 days ago

April 30, 2024

Trends Admin

Air Peace gets court order to answer queries on aircraft operations

A Lagos State High Court has ordered Air Peace to respond to questions brought by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism in a libel suit No. LD/ADR/4833/23 filed by the airline on October 12, 2022, regarding its aircraft operations from Lagos to Anambra State.

Air Peace insisted that it followed safety standards and practices in accordance with relevant regulations and policies.

It questioned the FIJ’s interrogations of its aircraft and flight operations, calling them “scandalous and irrelevant” to the libel case.

FIJ was dissatisfied with Air Peace’s responses to the queries and filed an application to compel them to adequately explain the objections.

Justice Kudiarat Jose upheld the argument of FIJ, represented by its counsel, Abimbola Ojenike and Jesulayomi Oyelami of Slingstone LP, stating that the questions requesting the details of the first two aircraft designated to convey passengers were relevant to the facts in issue, related to the defendant’s case, and capable of proving that the defendants were correct.

As a result, the court ordered Air Peace to respond to questions 1, 4, and 7 of the defendant’s interrogation within seven days of receiving the order.

The questions are: ‘Provide a comprehensive description and specification of the aircraft 5N-BUL initially scheduled for the operation of Flight P47336 on October 12, 2022. The description should include the make, year, engine type, and service information, including the most recent aircraft maintenance checks conducted prior to Flight P47336 on October 12, 2022, particularly but not limited to any faults or repairs on the systems.’

Air Peace gets court order to answer queries on aircraft operations

Aviation

Safety: NCAA to audit all domestic airlines, says Aviation minister

Published

7 days ago

April 26, 2024

Trends Admin

Safety: NCAA to audit all domestic airlines, says Aviation minister

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has said the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) will carry out a comprehensive audit on all local airlines over safety concerns.

This is coming after a runway incursion incident in which Dana Air’s plane carrying 83 passengers with six crew members skidded the runway at the Lagos airport leading to diversion of flights

The operations of Dana Air were immediately suspended and NCAA directed to commence a comprehensive audit on the airline.

Keyamo spoke on the general audit of all domestic airlines on Thursday when he appeared on Channels TV Politics Today programme.
He said beyond the suspension of Dana Airlines and the ongoing audit of the airline, all other carriers in the country would be audited to guarantee the safety of passengers and the health of the civil aviation industry.

The directive to suspend the operations of the Dana Air was contained in a letter issued and endorsed by the NCAA Acting Director General, Chris Najomo, in Abuja.

It is the second time within two years that the NCAA would suspend the airline’s operational licence over safety violations.

It said the latest action was based on “elevated safety concerns” posed by the airline.

“As a precautionary step, and in accordance with Sec 31 (7) of the Civil Aviation Act 2022, the Authority has imposed a suspension on your Air Operator Certificate (AOC) with effect from 24″ April, 2024 at 23:59 to allow for a thorough safety and economic audit,” the letter partly read.

The NCAA also stated, “The safety audit will entail a re-inspection of your organisation, procedures, personnel, and aircraft as specified by Part 1.3.3.3 of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations, while the economic audit will critically examine the financial health of your airline to guarantee its capability to sustain safe flight operations.”

Aviation

FG suspends Dana Air for comprehensive audit

Published

1 week ago

April 24, 2024

Trends Admin

FG suspends Dana Air for comprehensive audit

The Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development has ordered the suspension of Dana Air flight operations.

This came about 24 hours after the airline’s runway excursion incident at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

The directive was passed on Wednesday to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority to be effected.

A letter signed by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Emmanuel Meribole, addressed to the NCAA said recent incidents involving Dana Air had raised concerns about the safety and financial viability of the airline’s operations.

It said the suspension would not be lifted until comprehensive audits on the Dana Air’s fleet had been conducted.

It stated that the audit would include safety protocols, maintenance procedures and financial health.

It stressed that the move to suspend the airline was aimed at ensuring the safety and well-being of Nigerians.

The statement reads, “As the supervisor overseeing our nation’s aviation safety and regulatory compliance, it has come to the Honourable Minister’s attention that recent incidents involving Dana Airline have raised serious concerns regarding both the safety and financial viability of their operations.

“In light of these incidents and with the paramount priority being the safety and well-being of our citizens and travelers, the Honourable Minister has directed that you immediately initiate the suspension of Dana Airline’s fleet until a comprehensive audit can be conducted. This audit should encompass all aspects of safety protocols, maintenance procedures, and financial health to ensure full compliance with our aviation regulations.

“The recent incidents have underscored the urgency of this matter, and it is imperative that swift and decisive action be taken to safeguard the interests of all stakeholders involved.”