Aviation unions etition Tinubu over grounding of Arik Air fleet
Unions in the Nigerian aviation industry have jointly written an open letter to President Bola Tinubu on the grounding of the Arik Air fleet of aircraft by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).
The unions; National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), expressed shock with the grounding of the airline’s fleet.
The open letter dated August 1, 2024 and obtained by Daily Independent, was signed by Comrades Ocheme Aba; General Secretary, NUATE, Frances Akinjole, Principal Deputy General Secretary, ATSSSAN and Olayinka Abioye, General Secretary, NAAPE.
The petitioners, expressed shock with the grounding of the operations of the airline over the indebtedness between Engr. Arthur Eze and Sir. Johnson Arumemi-Ikhide, the founder of Arik Air.
The unions also maintained that the aircraft in question belonged to secured creditors as lien and wondered how such equipment could be taken over by another creditor.
They argued that the aircraft could not have been used as writ for the loan.
According to the unions, the action had created anguish and severe frustration among Arik’s passengers and had exacerbated the present air travel challenges in the country.
The unions also said that no fewer than 2,000 direct staff of the airline would be affected, while no fewer than 16,000 dependents would also face the current hardship of the grounding of the airline by the agency.
The petition added: “Under the current severe socio-economic upheavals, throwing such large numbers of citizens into economic quagmire can only worsen the forbearance strains. This is apart from losses of the other third party vendors and service providers – airports, aviation agencies, ground handlers, fuellers, caterers and many more. This will also have a significant negative impact on the earnings of aviation agencies.
“Against the background of the negative consequences of the earlier similar grounding of Dana Air for which the industry is still counting the losses, we consider this avoidable situation to be truly worrisome.”
The unions appealed to intervene in the crisis by calling all parties in the matter, especially the government agencies to order and allow the airline to continue its operations, even while the issues are being resolved.
The unions also pointed out that there was an order of court directing all parties to maintain status quo ante on the issue.
Daily Independent had exclusively reported on Monday that the grounded aircraft, Boeing 737-700 with the registration number: 5N-MJF, B737-800; 5N-MJQ and DASH8-Q400 with the registration number: 5N-BKX, belonged to Afrexim Bank.
The paper also reported that the situation may discourage foreign creditors from financing aircraft purchase for indigenous airlines, fearing that their assets may be taken as lien by other creditors in case of litigation.
NAMA in a statement last Tuesday by Alhaji Abdullahi Musa, its Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, had said that three Arik Air aircraft were affected by the Supreme Court ruling.
The statement clarified that the airline’s fleet of aircraft were grounded over the $2.5 million debt to one Atlas Petroleum International Ltd, which attached its airplanes.
Earlier, the management of Arik Air (In Receivership), had accused Mr. Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development of grounding the airline’s fleet of aircraft.
