Arik Air pax stranded in Dakar - Plane grounded over debt

[sn26567]

More than 100 Nigerian passengers scheduled to be airlifted home by Arik Air, are presently stranded at the Dakar Airport, Senegal, due to the inability of the Nigerian carrier to pay Senegalese authority airport charges. Arik Air was grounded because it refused to pay airport charges.

A female passenger, who called from Senegal, said that over 100 passengers have been abandoned by the airline, adding that they have been sleeping at the airport for the past one week.

The Arik Station Manager has abandoned his house following a threat by stranded and angry passengers to deal with him if he fails to provide aircraft for them to return to Nigeria.

[Flanker]

There's more to this story.

From another source:

-A330 - Repossesed in JNB due to failed lease agreement
-2 B737 Classics -In Storage (Norge/UK)
-1of2 Q400's - In Storage (Maastricht) Maintenance Fees unpaid
-2of2 Q400's - AOG (Lagos) due to non payment of SAMCO/GEN mx
-1 737NG - AOG (Enugu) Engine MX, A/C currently being scrapped by LH
-1 737NG - AOG (Dakar) Unpaid Senegalese Auth. Fees
-1 of 2 HS125 - Out of Country undetermined period

[rwandan-flyer]

I m not very surprised by the news, the Nigerian Civil Aviation has already grounded several times Arik Air for non payment. They canceled the order of 5 B777-300ERs, this year. They are often in mate for pay date.

[rwandan-flyer]

Kano - Federal aviation authorities in Nigeria say a Bombardier CRJ-900 airplane operated by Arik Air Ltd, filled with passengers in the northern city of Kano, was seized by authorities to fulfill a judgment in a civil lawsuit.

http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Niger ... s-20110811

[FLYAIR10]

interesting article on Arik air to be found on;
http://www.newswatchngr.com/index.php?o ... &Itemid=32

Grtz