This is coming as the federal government has decided that
the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) would continue to operate
Arik Air as receiver manager but a new set of officials may be appointed to
preside over the affairs of the airline.
The Director of Media, Ministry of Aviation, Dr. James
Odaudu confirmed the appointment of Olumide, who is expected to carry out the
processes and procedures for the registration of the new airline, including
securing the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the Nigerian Civil Aviation
Authority (NCAA), the recruitment of personnel, acquisition of offices and
acquisition and choice of aircraft for the airline’s operations.
With the appointment of interim Managing Director and
issuance of Request for Proposal (RFP) for the establishment of the national
carrier advertised in the Economist of London and local newspapers, the
Ministry of Aviation said it has started firm process to establish a national
carrier and has projected that by October this year, the airline may mark its inaugural
flight.
There are indications that Qatar Airways may become the core
investor of national carrier.
The Middle East carrier was chosen from among three
international carriers, including Ethiopia Airlines, which might be consulted
for the establishment of Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility and
Turkish Airlines.
Industry consultant and CEO of BeluJane Konsult, Chris
Aligbe who is involved in the drive for the national carrier, told THISDAY that
the choice of Qatar Airways was because it guarantees better future for the new
national airlines, disclosing that the core investor could place its aircraft
fleet at the disposal of the new carrier for leasing and this would make it
easy for Nigeria Air to obtain its AOC without long process because the core
investor is already an operating airline.
Aligbe also said because everything would be in place for
the airline to take off, it was expected that the regulatory authority would
give waiver and circumvent the long procedures for the obtaining of AOC.
“Because the core investor has everything that may be
required in terms of technical requirements, personnel and capacity, some of
the processes of AOC could be short circulated.
“The airline is expected to start operation after second
quarter and it will not take long before it will go international and
passengers can book to go to anywhere in the world, China, UK, US because the
core investor has developed these routes. This is one of the gains of involving
the legacy carrier, Qatar Airways,” Alighe said.
The new national carrier was being midwifed by Aviation
Roadmap Implementation Committee, headed by the erudite Kabir Mohammed, but the
committee decided to keep its plans under wraps until the work is completed.
“We will not make noise about our plan and what we are doing
until the work is completed. So Nigerians will judge us by the result of our
work,” an inside source said.
But an official from the Ministry of Aviation told THISDAY
that while all indications show that Qatar Airways may have been chosen as core
investor, none of those who bided as core investor has officially been given
green light by the federal government.
Meanwhile, there are strong indications that while AMCON
would continue to manage Arik Air, the management team of the airline might be
tinkered with.
We gathered that there could be changes in the management
team.
Sources in the Ministry of Aviation revealed that Arik Air
was allegedly exposed to over N200 billion debts and that it was due to the
debt that the federal government did not combine it with Aero to float a
national carrier.
“That debt is huge. Arik Air Chairman wanted government to
offset or cancel the debt, but government cannot do that. Instead AMCON will
continue to manage it and see whether it could generate revenues to offset the
debts”, the official said.
Reacting to the allegation that he wanted federal government
to cancel the debts, the Founder of Arik Air, Sir Joseph Arumemi-Ikhide, said
that he had never said anything like that.
“We just requested from AMCON the details of what they have
recouped since they started managing the airline. When they do that we would
reconcile and know how much is left. They have to state what they have earned
and how much of the debts they have recovered. If they do this we see how much
we will pay, how much we need to have to restructure the company,” Arumemi
said.
However, the Receiver Manager of Arik Air, Kamilu Omokide
told THISDAY that nobody facilitated the aircraft leased by the operator and
that the airline was fulfilling its obligation on its aircraft lease.
On whether there would be change in the team managing the
airline, he said he had not received any signal to that and if anything like
that, stressing that if anything like that would happen he would not hear it
from an outsider, considering his position in AMCON.
Omokide empahasised that Arik Air was being managed more
efficiently now than when it was under the former management of the airline and
that he has facts and documentations to attest to that, adding that for the
airline to expand, it needs more capital. - THISDAY
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