Following the barrage of social messages on allegations of poor management of airplanes in its fleet, the management of Arik Air has on Thursday refuted the claims; saying its airline is committed to ensuring international safety and operational standards.
In a statement made available to the press by its Communications Manager, Mr Ola Adebanji; Arik Air appealed to its guests to ignore any message alleging that the airline’s aircraft were not well maintained.
It described the message making the rounds as the handiwork of mischief makers and one of the airline’s staff whose appointment was terminated on Dec. 13 for misconduct and fraud.
According to the statement, Arik Air has been leading the resurgence of Nigerian civil aviation and has been using modern and well-maintained aircraft for operations.
“This is evident in the airline achieving the stringent IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit) four consecutive times, with the last two audits cleared successfully without any findings.
“This achievement has also earned Arik Air, EIOSA (Enhanced IATA Operational Safety Audit) making it the only airline in West and Central Africa to have such certification.”
The statement added that the airline operates the youngest fleet in West Africa, with an average hull age of 7-8 years.
The statement further explained that Arik Air has an existing contract with world renowned maintenance providers such as Lufthansa Technik and Lufthansa Cityline under full “turnkey” maintenance service contracts and other leading maintenance service providers.
“Arik Air also maintains a well-stocked spare parts store with a market value of over $250 million.
Arik Air has in its 10 years of operation, safely transported about 20 million passengers across its network of 19 domestic, 10 regional and three international destinations,” the statement concluded.
