ARIK AIR is due back in business today.
Its planes have been off the sky since Thursday in the heat of a strike by workers unions in the aviation sector over alleged indebtedness to regulatory authorities.
Arik is the nation’s biggest airline. The disruption of its operations in the last 72 hours by the Air Transport Service Senior Staff Association (ATSSSAN), the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) and the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) left thousands of domestic travellers stranded across the country and threw the sector into confusion.
The reconciliation meeting called by the Federal Government was presided over by the Secretary to the Federal Government, Chief Pius Ayim, and had in attendance the Aviation Minister, Princes Stella Oduah, the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr. Harold Demuren, Managing Directors of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr. Goerge Uresi and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mr. Nnamdi Udoh.
Also in attendance was the Chairman of Arik Air, Sir Joseph Arumemi Ikhide Chairman of Senate Committee on Aviation Senator Hope Uzodinma and other stakeholders involved in the crisis.
They deliberated on the issues involved and agreed that immediate settlement is the best option for the ailing aviation industry while permanent solutions to the issues would be worked out later.
Consequent upon this, Arik Air announced immediate resumption of flight operations.
The management of Arik Air agreed to continue negotiation with the agencies it is owing with a view to settling all its out standing indebtedness to them.
The airline management however expressed regret for the inconveniences and losses its passengers suffered as a result of the disruption of its flight operations.
It is about time the Federal Government held similar meetings with telephone service providers in the country.
ReplyDeleteThe quality of service is deteriorating everyday yet nobody is doing anything.
You subscribe to a data plan but no internet service to use it. You load your phone yet no network to make calls.
We hear of equipment upgrade everyday but it never translates to better service.
FG please help us
It is time the Government held a similar meeting with GSM service providers in the country.
ReplyDeleteTheir services have so deteriorated it is like we are back to the infamous days of NITEL
Try browsing with your telephone after subscribing to their data plan and you will receive the message "A communication failure has occurred. The server may be busy. Please try again later. If the problem persists contact your service provider"
Everyday we are told of equipment upgrade which does not translate to better service.
I suggest the Government should ban further sale of sim cards until the networks improve their services.
Its appears the networks are completely overwhelmed by their success in the country
I'm glad that the people in government have started to think for once. If all our airlines are grounded, there will be no need for an aviation ministry, FAAN and other aviation agencies. All of them including the minister will be out of job. Many of the airlines' employees, wards and service providers will also be out of jobs. For the mere fact that these airlines (Arik & Air Nigeria) are major employers of labor, the situation should be managed in a way that they will remain in business while they are made to pay their debts. it was not a credit to the government that Air Nigeria shut down and sacked 800 employees! I suggest that they also look into how they can help to get Air Nigeria flying again for the sake of the industry, economy and the employees.
ReplyDelete