The Federal Government has lifted the suspension on Arik Air’s operations, ending a week-long grounding of the airline’s planes.
The decision to rescind the suspension was announced by Michael Achimugu, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), following the resolution of a dispute between Atlas Petroleum and Arik Air. The Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo SAN, and the Director-General of NCAA, Capt. Chris Najomo, successfully resolved the impasse, allowing Arik Air to resume operations immediately.
The initial suspension of Arik Air’s aircraft operations was directed by Minister Festus Keyamo on June 30, without specifying a reason for the decision. However, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) explained that the move followed an order by the enforcement department of the FCT High Court, relating to a debt of $2.5 million owed by Arik to Atlas Petroleum International Ltd. The grounding of Arik’s aircraft was intended to comply with the effect of a Supreme Court order and to preserve the subject matter of the dispute, ensuring that the aircraft were not taken out of the jurisdiction of the court or tampered with. The Minister emphasized the need for the parties involved to expedite the resolution of their issues, enabling the Arik aircraft in question to resume flight operations.
