The management of Arik Air has revealed the reason behind its decision to adjust schedule operations, a move that has been dissatisfactory to customers.
Reason for the decision: According to Arik Air, the decision to adjust its operational schedule was as a result of the reduction in its fleet. Some of the company’s aircraft are currently undergoing maintenance. The shortage of jets has, therefore, affected schedule as the airline can no longer serve most of its routes in the meantime.
According to the spokesman of the airline, Ola Adebanji, Arik Air‘s fleet witnessed a reduction in the last two week after some aircraft were flown overseas to Approved Maintenance Organisation (AMO) in Europe.
Adebanji stated that in order to maintain schedule integrity and ensure flights depart on time, the airline had to cut down the number of flights operated daily.
Why customers are dissatisfied: Some air travelers might have pre-ordered their tickets ahead of their travels. Therefore, the reschedulings present both physical inconvenience and economic inconvenience they may not be prepared for. Therefore, it is understandable why they are dissatisfied.
The problem is temporary: Meanwhile, Adebanji has assured the customers that the aircraft will start returning from maintenance soon while scheduled operations will be back to normal in a couple of weeks. He claimed that because Arik Air is a safety conscious airline, it takes aircraft maintenance very seriously.
About the airline: Arik Air is a Nigerian airline which operates mainly from two hubs at Murtala Muhammed International Airport near Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
Arik Air‘s head office is the Arik Air Aviation Center on the grounds of Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja. Arik Air serves a network of regional and mid-haul destinations within Africa.
In February 2017, Arik Air was taken over by the Asset Management Company of Nigeria, AMCON. Apparently, the company has an estimated debt of over N375 billion.
Since the takeover, AMCON has injected over N1.5 billion into the airline.
