Arik Air releases statement over attack on its Lagos manager

Arik airline has released a statement condemning the attack on one of its managers by angry passengers at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport two days ago.


In a statement signed by its Communications Manager, Ola Adebanji, the airline said the verbal and physical attack on its staff and the destruction of some of its properties by frustrated passengers, is unacceptable and will be legally addressed.

According to Adebanji, trouble started when the airline’s Lagos-New York flight was rescheduled from Wednesday to Thursday due to the shortage of aviation fuel.

The statement reads in part: “On Wednesday, 4 January, 2017, our Lagos-New York JFK service which was to operate at 11:30 pm had to be rescheduled by 24 hours to operate at 11:30 pm on Thursday, 5 January, 2017 due to the shortage in supply of aviation fuel by the major fuel marketers.

Our Lagos-Johannesburg service and Lagos- Accra service were also on ground awaiting fuel while the Lagos-New York service was standing by for fuel. Aviation fuel supply has been epileptic in the country over the past weeks where availability of stock and terms of service are not guaranteed on a consistent basis by the marketers.

Arik Air pursued all possible options to source fuel for the international flights on 4 January, 2017 but when our Customer Service Manager at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos approached the passengers to explain the situation to them, one of the passengers chased and attacked him. This was followed by a mob of passengers who brutally beat, kicked and chased the Arik Air staff throughout the terminal building leading to the Immigration Section of the terminal. The staff was later rushed to the hospital where he was treated for injuries sustained during this reckless and inhuman attack.

Arik Air managed to source a small quantity of fuel and despite eventually sorting out the departure of the Johannesburg service, some of the passengers from the affected services damaged the check-in counters, check-in systems and equipment, preventing the airline from being able to service or checking-in passengers on 5 January, 2017.

Arik Air strongly condemns the incessant and increasing number of attacks on our staff and property in the recent months. As a flag carrier for Nigeria, the airline expresses it disappointment and dismay that the Aviation Security department (AVSEC) of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and all the other security agencies in the country cannot ensure or guarantee the safety of our personnel when on duty across the various airports in the country.

Arik Air will also pursue legal action and engage local and foreign security agencies including private security firms to investigate, identify and prosecute to the full extent of the law all of those passengers in Nigeria and overseas, involved in the attacks against our personnel and property".
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  1. Arik air should be ashamed of themselves. The staff in question should thank God that he did not die. The fact is passengers receive a lot of disappointment from Arik airs. How many times has the arik left luggage at departure while passengers will arrive at their destinations without their assets? Arik air has pushed Nigerians to the wall and that was why they reacted. But watch for more of such violent reactions from Nigerians if the airline staff and management continue to behave like goats

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  2. Arik Air Management are bunch of liars. It is in their tradition to either delay or cancel flight each time you board Arik Air flight. The excuse of aviation fuel scarcity is a huge lie. Any one who has had any cause to fly with Arik Air knows that the airline has been highly mismanaged for years. The customer service has nothing to write home about.

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  3. Arik stop ploting your own down fall. 4get your status in the Nigerian aviation industry. You are the most frustrating irrespective of your high fares. I have had my share of Arik's high handedness. I would have beaten up your pilot march 25 before the 2015 election on a flight from Abuja to Lagos that arrived Lagos after mid night. Or you(Arik) have 4gotten that passengers were on the tarmac waiting for your plan as if waiting for moluè to embark?

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  4. Arik Air how many months salaries are you owing your staff? How credit worthy are you to your creditors? Your other name is disappointment. Your Airline has no good-anymore. There is no evil your company does not commit. You book people to a destination you do not fly on a particular day.

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  5. You must be very stupid for this unprofessional submission on behalf of your useless airline. This is absolutely lack of decorum from a spoke person that should manage the battered image of Arik.

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  6. I was waiting to read that part where the Arik spokes person apologised to the passengers for unending delays and substandard services. Of course you won't get that from an airline where mediocrity is the order of the day. I only go to Arik as a r last resort, they are never in my priority list during my flight search

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    1. @Stynex.... Don't mind them.
      Arik, is the most useless airline in Nigeria..... What arant nonsense are they saying? Those passengers were even gentle.... They supposed to tie down all their staff on duty that day with ropes. Mtchwwwww!

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  7. This kind of non- challant attitude to customers from Arik Air must be a good example to other ruthless service providers generally in this country. If government fail to address the legality surrounding dissppointments which now becoming orders of the day,citizens have no choice but cooperate to fight for their rights. This is nothing else infringement on individual and collective right in a democratic government. You hold to people's money, services not provided and an altanative not forthcoming and monies not refunded yet Arik Air is arrogantly boasting. Try it again and you see more reactions and resistances from innocent customers taken forgranted.

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