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The unions involved include the National Union of Air
Transport Employees (NUATE), the Air Transport Services Senior Staff
Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), and the National Association of Aircraft
Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE). They conveyed their astonishment at the decision
to ground the airline's fleet.
Dated August 1, 2024, and acquired by Daily Independent, the
letter was endorsed by Comrades Ocheme Aba, General Secretary of NUATE; Frances
Akinjole, Principal Deputy General Secretary of ATSSSAN; and Olayinka Abioye,
General Secretary of NAAPE.
The unions expressed their dismay regarding the airline's
operational halt, which they attributed to financial disputes involving Engr.
Arthur Eze and Sir Johnson Arumemi-Ikhide, the founder of Arik Air.
The unions asserted that the aircraft in question was owned
by secured creditors as a lien and questioned how another creditor could assume
control of such equipment. They contended that the aircraft could not have been
utilized as collateral for the loan.
The unions expressed that this action had caused distress
and significant frustration among Arik’s passengers, further complicating the
existing air travel difficulties in the nation.
They also indicated that at least 2,000 direct employees of
the airline would be impacted, along with approximately 16,000 dependents who
would endure the hardships resulting from the agency's grounding of the
airline.
The petition emphasized, “In light of the current severe
socio-economic turmoil, subjecting such a large number of citizens to economic
hardship can only exacerbate the strains of forbearance.
This does not account for the losses incurred by various
third-party vendors and service providers, including airports, aviation
agencies, ground handlers, fuel suppliers, caterers, and others. The
repercussions will also significantly affect the revenue 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 have sought to intervene in the ongoing crisis by
urging all relevant parties, particularly government agencies, to take action
and permit the airline to maintain its operations while the issues are being
addressed.
Furthermore, the unions highlighted a court order mandating
all parties to uphold the status quo ante regarding the matter.
The Daily Independent reported exclusively on Monday that
the grounded aircraft, including a Boeing 737-700 with the registration number
5N-MJF, a B737-800 with the registration number 5N-MJQ, and a DASH8-Q400 with
the registration number 5N-BKX, are owned by Afrexim Bank.
The publication also indicated that this situation could
deter foreign creditors from financing aircraft acquisitions for local
airlines, as they may fear that their assets could be claimed as collateral by
other creditors in the event of legal disputes.
In a statement issued last Tuesday, Alhaji Abdullahi Musa,
the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at NAMA, confirmed that
three Arik Air aircraft were impacted by the Supreme Court's ruling.
The statement further explained that the grounding of the
airline's fleet was due to a $2.5 million debt owed to Atlas Petroleum
International Ltd, which had placed liens on the aircraft.
Earlier, the management of Arik Air (In Receivership)
alleged that Mr. Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace
Development, was responsible for the grounding of the airline’s fleet of
aircraft.