
Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo, supported by Acting Director General Civil Aviation Captain Chris Najomo, intervened in the Arik Air and Atlas Petroleum impasse. A meeting involving all parties resolved the issues which led to the recommencement of Arik Air’s operations with two out of three aircraft.
A Supreme Court order, enforced on July 30, 2024, grounded Arik Air’s aircraft due to a $2.5 million debt owed to Atlas Petroleum International Ltd. The order attached all moveable properties belonging to the judgement debtor, including the aircraft with Registration No: B737-700/5N-MJF, B737-800/5N-MJQ, and DASH8-Q400/5N-BKX, in satisfaction of the judgement debt.
After the grounding, the airline raised concerns. This prompted the meeting where participants agreed that the $2.5 million debt was substantial but not enough to justify grounding equipment worth hundreds of millions. Subsequently, they struck a deal after an independent appraiser valued one of the aircraft at well over $5 million. They decided to use this aircraft as surety until Arik Air and Atlas Petroleum resolve the debt.
Michael Achimugu, Director of Public Affairs & Consumer Protection, confirmed, “Consequently, the NCAA has cleared 2 of the 3 grounded Arik Air aircraft to resume operations today (8th August 2024). Passengers scheduled to travel on Arik Air are already being checked in at airport terminals across the country, which clearly indicates that flights are resuming, and operations are getting back to normal.”
Arik Air has since restarted operations, ensuring that passengers can now travel as scheduled.