Barely two months after the takeover of stressed Arik Air by the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON), indications have emerged showing returning to stability, a stone throw to profitability in the near future.
This was revealed by the Managing Director, Capt. Roy Ilegbodu, who noted “The airline business is complex and that complexity means that a lot of attention is needed to keep it efficient and safe”.
“In the past few months since we assumed office, the new management has been able to enhance the value of the airline, improve customer experience, and sustained its safety procedures,’’ he said.
According to him, “We have improved in our on-time performance which I think is a great feat to the airline. We have resumed flight operations in some West Africa countries and we have worked very hard to regain customer confidence which had been battered before we resumed,’’ Ilegbodu added.
Explaining some of the measures he has put in place, Ilegbodu said “We can’t use our workers for 30 days and not pay them; as you all know, this is a safety industry.
“For instance, how do you want a pilot to feel if he is not paid his salary for two months?“All he will be thinking of is how he will be able to survive without pay; thereby keeping the lives of the passengers and crew in danger,’’ he said.
While revealing that Arik Air has resumed its flight operations to Senegal, Accra and Togo, he argued that “We will eventually expand on our operations as time goes on. What we did when we came in was to shrink the operations to a manageable size and we are now expanding on our routes”.
“Since Nigeria is a bigger market in the aviation industry business, we presently have 14 aircraft in our fleet; three have gone for C- Checks, while 11 aircraft are in operation.
Continuing, Arik Air boss averred that “We can now boast of approximately 4,000 passengers daily in our various flight operations”.
