Arik Air, West Africa’s largest airline has suspended operations until further notice. This was made known in an official statement released by the airline’s spokesman, Ola Adebanji.
“Arik Air, West and Central Africa’s largest airline has alerted all air travelers of a temporary disruption to its operations, pending approval of aircraft documentation related to insurance renewal,” The Cable reports.
This news was corroborated by a flight official who confirmed that none of the airlines flights scheduled for today had taken off as at 4.15pm. “Passengers are stranded at the airport now. The situation is even better because today is a public holiday,” he said.
Arik Air however said that it would all it could to ensure that flights were restored as quickly as possible. For its customers who had booked flights, the airline advised them to check with the airline regarding the status of their flights before proceeding to the airport. In addition, the airline promised to notify passengers through text messages if their flights have been rescheduled.
The reason given by the statement for the delay was due to delayed approval from National Insurance Commission, NAICOM, for renewal of its insurance with a new company and warned that the situation could likely continue for the next few days. The company did not explain why it had changed insurance companies, though.
Part of this article originally appeared in Reuters
