….Resumes Flight Operations

The management of Arik Air said it has resolved the impasse with labour unions led by the Lagos State branch of National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and  National Association of Aircraft Pilot and Engineers (NAAPE) in a meeting mediated by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) this evening.

A statement by the Media Consultant to Asset Management Corporation (AMCON), Mr Simon Tumba, stated that as a result of the resolution of the impasse, Arik Air has normalised its operations with effect from tomorrow; Friday morning on all routes.

The management, the statement also said has equally apologise to its customer for the disruption of services today following the picketing of its operations by the unions.

Pleading with the airline’s passengers, the Chief Executive Officer of Arik Air, Capt. Roy Ilegbodu, said, “We sincerely apologise to our customers for the disruption of our operations today caused by the picketing of our services. We have resolved the issue with the unions and wish to inform the traveling public that our services will resume tomorrow morning.”

He continued, “We reassure our customers of on time departure and great travel experience and look forward to welcoming them onboard our flights.”

Meanwhile the airline has reactivated its online platform for customers to book and pay online through its entire network.

According to the statement, the airline’s on time departure performance has improved to over 80 per cent over the last three weeks.

The unions had today picket the airline for allegedly breaching the agreement it reached with the unions while the old management was in charge.

One of the major grievances of the unions was the refusal by the new management to recall members of the union that were sacked.