Arik Air recent status
Hi there, to get some info about Arik Air's current status, read this article by Daily Trust (Abuja): Arik Air, the new Nigerian Airline announced yesterday that it has delayed the take off of its commercial operations till October 25, 2006 . The airline was sched-uled to have its inaugural flight from Lagos to Abuja yesterday and commenced commercial operations today (Tuesday). However, the Chairman of Arik, Ararume Johnson told journalists yesterday that the airline had to postpone its take off date due to delay in the arrival of the airline's technical partner, Lufthansa Cityline, the organization that will manage the maintenance business of Arik Air. According to Ararume, the Technical partners who are being expected from Germany could not get working visa from Nigeria. Explaining the rationale behind securing working Visa for them, the chairman of the airline said the Lufthansa Technical partner has signed a five year contract with the airline in Nigeria to conduct training and maintained its aircraft. He hinted that there is no certified engineer in Nigeria to service the three CRJ 900 aircraft in the fleet of Arik Air. He added that the ground handling company (SAHCOL) that provides ground handling operation for Arik could not even effectively offload baggage from the aircraft during simulation, stressing that this is the first time the aircraft is being used in the country. Ararume however promised to train SAHCOL staff. However, the chief Operating Officer of Arik, Micheal MCTighe revealed that the aircraft will continue its flight test from Lagos to Abuja for seven days. He added that Arik Air pilots have all passed regulatory tests required by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) which he claimed paving the ways for the airline to continue preparations by conducting proofing flights before the commencement of commercial flights on October 25. He hinted that the first set of Nigerian Engineers sent to Canada for training will be back in the Country in two weeks time. The chairman of the airline disclosed that the two Boeing 737-300 in the fleet of the airline will be withdrawn and used for cargo operations, promising that all the aircraft in the fleet of Arik will be brand new. According to him, Airbus and Boeing aircraft manufacturers have sent in their proposals adding that the winners will soon be announced to the whole world. Cheers, Felix