By Adesina Soyooye
The Management of one of Nigeria’s Domestic Airlines, Arik Air, is up in arms against a passenger, R.O. Iselalumhe, a Legal Practitioner in Benin.
The Airline, in a press release, is accusing the Lawyer of ignorance, of causing public panic, and of deliberately de-marketing it.
The Airline is, therefore, threatening to take action against the Lawyer.
Arik’s reaction, in a statement signed by its Chief Executive Officer, Captain Roy Ilegbodu, stemmed from a post in the Social Media, by Barrister Iselalumhe where he narrated what he termed a traumatic experience on board the Airline on two consecutive days – March 7, and March 8.
In the post, titled ARIK AIR, A DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN Isenalumhe said that trouble began on March 7, when he boarded an Arik Air flight from Benin to Abuja. He said the aircraft struggled on taking-off, to the apprehension of passengers. He said it took them 90 minutes to land in Abuja, a trip which, ordinarily, ought not to have been more than 30 minutes.
He said as if that was not enough, he had a more traumatic experience on his return journey, March 8, on the same aircraft. After a delay, of about an hour, they had an air return.
15 minutes into the flight, he narrated, the Pilot informed the passengers of a problem, and said he was returning to Abuja and added that NEMA and Fire Service trucks had been informed, and were waiting for them. However, he said it took them about 75 minutes of hovering before they finally landed, for, according to the Pilot, he was burning fuel before making a landing.
Isenalumhe then expressed fear over the safety of passengers using Arik Air, and alleged that it does seem that AMCON, which took over the running of the Airline on Receivership, was more interested in collecting money to off-set the debt owed it by Arik Air, than servicing the Aircraft for the safety of the passengers, dismissing the fleet as non-serviceable
But the Management of the Airline has taken a serious exception to the lawyer’s narrative. Isenalumhe’s allegation reads;
ARIK AIR: A DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN.
“On the 7the of March 2021, I boarded an ArIk fight from Benin to Abuja. The flight was 5.50pm from Benin.
The take-off from Benin Airport was traumatic and clearly indicative that the plane was not in order.
“We, however, managed to land at Abuja Airport after 1 hour 15 mins.
“I was to return back to Benin on the 8th March 2021, at 4.15 pm with same aircraft.
“After an hour delay, we managed to take off. 15 minutes into the flight, there was an announcement from the pilot that the flight cannot continue. The reason given was that there is an opening somewhere may be a door. The plane is to return back to Abuja before any disaster.
“One hour after the announcement, the plane was still hovering around and could not land. The pilot explained that he had to burn out fuel before landing. At this time, those praying have ceased. Those wailing have become quiet too.
“Suddenly, the pilot announced that he was about to land. He assured us that fire brigade was fully mobilised on ground as well as NEMA. Tension increased once more inside the aircraft. Prayers started once more
“However we managed to land at the Abuja Airport .
“Two passengers confirmed that they had two previous experiences with the same aircraft. Another narrated how one of the aircraft engine had failed to start in an aborted Lagos – Abuja flight.
“I have not recovered from the trauma.
I am told that the particular aircraft is still flying.
“It appears that AMCON, the new managers of Arik Air, is only interested in recouping the debt owed by Arik Air which they have purchased from the banks. And in doing that, passengers lives don’t matter.
This is a warning to all air travelers. ARIK AIR IS A DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN UNLESS URGENT STEPS ARE TAKEN TO GROUND THEIR AIRCRAFTS WHICH ARE NO LONGER SERVICEABLE.
“R. O lsenalumhe Esq ( Benin based legal practitioner)”
But in a Press statement titled: Arik Air Operations Safe the management accused the lawyer of mischief and deliberately causing panic. It said its crew were professionals, and took a professional decision to return to base after noticing a fault.
Vouching for the integrity of its fleet, Captain Ilegbodu, said the Airline operates with new generation aircraft, with fittings which enhance safety operations. He, also, exonerated AMCON from the allegation of milking the Airline dry to the detriment of the safety of the travelling members of the public.
Finally, he threatened action against Barrister Isenalumhe, accusing him of mischief, and wondering why he did not make a report to the right channels, instead of going to the Social Media to cause panic, knowing how sensitive the Airline industry is.
Following is the Airline’s statement titled: Arik Air Operations Safe
“Our attention has been drawn to stories published on the social media claiming that Arik Air operations are unsafe following an incident last week.
“The incident referred to by the author of the article occurred in Abuja on the 8th of March 2021. For the records, the actions taken by the crew of the flight were strictly precautionary as the Pilot-in-Command of the aircraft took the necessary safety measures by returning the aircraft to land as they have been well trained to do in line with standard practice, after observing a cautionary indication light in the cockpit.
“Our aircraft are modern, next generation aircraft equipped with redundancies and annunciators that enhance safe operations in all stages of flight.
“Arik Air in line with standard practice and being a responsible corporate organization notified the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), who subsequently checked, certified and returned to service the aircraft after all mandatory reports and processes had been fulfilled in accordance with global safety standards.
“It is unfortunate that one R. Isenalumhe, a trained lawyer who raised the alarm displayed an unprofessional approach to this issue as he is not an expert to declare an aircraft unsafe. We had expected him to go the extra mile to investigate and ask probing questions from professionals in the industry or refer the incident to the appropriate regulatory body, the NCAA, if he felt so concerned about air safety. We wonder what his motive may be and Arik reserves the right to take action on this libelous and unprofessional conduct.
“Arik Air as an organization goes over and above safety standards in all facets of our operations. This is clearly evident in our over 14 years of operating as an airline. Safety is our cardinal policy and we will never operate an aircraft that is unsafe. We seize this opportunity to assure our esteemed customers of our unflinching commitment to safety which can never be compromised.
“Arik has not made any repayments to the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) on its pre-receivership debt as claimed by Mr. Isenalumhe. Neither has AMCON put any undue pressure on Arik for repayments at the detriment of operation. Instead, AMCON had provided funds and all forms of support to assist the airline in its operations.
“Signed
Captain Roy Ilegbodu
Chief Executive Officer”
Arik Air, founded in 2002, was once the largest Airline in Nigeria, with an appreciable modern fleet, called new generation Aircraft. But due to alleged bad management, and interference from its founder, Michael Arumemi-Ikhide, the Airline was enmeshed in debt, and a depletion of its fleet.
AMCON bought over its indebtedness, and it has been on receivership since 2017.
