….Passengers Left in Limbo Over Debt Crisis
The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has grounded all Arik Air operations following a court order to seize the airline’s aircraft over a $2.5 million debt owed to Atlas Petroleum International Ltd.
In a statement released today, NAMA explained that the FCT High Court had ordered the attachment of Arik Air’s planes and scheduled a public auction for July 26th if the debt was not settled.
The agency emphasized that the court order was served on both NAMA and the Minister of Aviation.
According to the statement, Arik Air has a history of legal battles with creditors, including a previous appeal to the Supreme Court which was dismissed in January 2024.
Related report: https://newsbulletinng.com/arik-air-ceo-expresses-outrage-over-ministers-decision-to-ground-fleet/
Despite a recent ex-parte order obtained by Arik to halt further execution of the court order, NAMA decided to ground the aircraft to preserve the subject matter of the dispute and comply with the Supreme Court’s decision.
The agency stressed that the grounding of the aircraft is a temporary measure to protect the assets involved in the legal dispute and urged the parties to resolve the matter swiftly to allow Arik Air to resume operations.
