The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has confirmed that Arik Air (W3, Lagos) has been given the green light to resume domestic flights, ending the airline’s one-week flight ban.
“This is confirmed. Arik is good to go,” NCAA Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection Michael Achimugu confirmed to ch-aviation. He said this was the result of a settlement between the airline and the creditor (Nigerian fuel supplier Atlas Petroleum International) brokered by Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo and NCAA Director General Chris Najomo.
Achimugu said the airline would resume scheduled flights on August 8, adding: “The necessary parties have been notified. The NCAA will do everything possible to protect all parties involved. The airline has suffered severe revenue losses during this period and we are glad that a solution has been found.”
According to sources close to the airline, Arik Air planned to resume four flights on the afternoon of August 8:
The Nigerian Airspace Management Authority (NAMA) had grounded all three aircraft on July 30 after the Supreme Court ordered on June 25 that the planes be sold to recover the airline’s $2.5 million debt to Atlas Petroleum. Arik Arik obtained an injunction to stop the execution of the order, but NAMA said it had opted to ground the planes to keep them under the court’s control.
Arik Air has been under the administration of the state-owned Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) since 2017.
