Arik Air has condemned reports
published recently by a site alleging that the airline is in financial trouble and
may be going bankrupt.
According to a statement released by the airline"This false and malicious publication is the
handiwork of fly-by-night social media sites trying to ride on the popularity
and huge followership of Arik Air, to attract attention or relevance to their
sites. These harbingers of bad news in their senseless sensationalism and
quack journalism would stop at nothing including pulling down national
institutions, and icons, in order to achieve their narrow pecuniary interests
and those of their desperate sponsors. Arik Air is not deterred by this
smear campaign. The airline has been steadily operating over one hundred
flights on a daily basis which are being increased to one hundred and ten from
the on-set of the winter season".
The statement continues"We have already launched expansion into
cities such as Abidjan, Monrovia, Cotonou and Douala which are being further
increased to weekly frequencies from this week onwards and therefore find it
ridiculous for anyone to suggest that the airline is going bankrupt. Our long
haul international flights to London and Johannesburg continue to be operated
on a daily basis without any issues along with New York JFK which is flown
three times per week.
Reports of mass resignations of pilots
and cabin crew are also totally inaccurate. We have gathered that certain
elements of society who are envious of what we have accomplished since our
commencement of operations, want to discredit us to strengthen our competitors".
The statement revealed that the airline has recently
concluded a new deal with Lufthansa Technik who will be maintaining their fleet
of 28 airplanes uptill 2019. It also states that Arik Air is taking delivery of 2 brand
new Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 aircraft this winter season to further expand their
domestic services and launch new services within Africa to cities such as
Libreville.
"We are Nigeria’s and West Africa’s
largest carrier in terms of aircraft fleet, revenue generation,passenger numbers, as well as offering
the highest number of weekly flights out of Lagos, Abuja, and Accra airports.
Thus we are also contributing to the economic growth of Nigeria, and our
neighboring countries like Ghana, Senegal, Gambia, Cameroon, Benin, and other
West African Countries.
Arik Air is the only airline facilitating
direct links between Ghana and Senegal by operating three weekly nonstop
services between Dakar and Accra using a Boeing 737NG alongside three weekly
flights to Monrovia from Accra.
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