Nigerian airline Arik Air announced the suspension of its international flight operations, as the airline interim management carries out a thorough assessment of the situation and finds a permanent solution for the financially-stricken airline.
“The strategic business decision is meant to realign our operations and refocus on satisfying our domestic and West Africa and other international passengers. It will also present Arik with excellent opportunity to engage and discuss with creditors who have become restive since the intervention and have also understandably exhausted their patience due to non-payment of accumulated debt and non-performance on services and contracts”, the airline said in a statement.
The international route network is very critical for the strategic turnaround of the airline. Therefore, the new management team intends to review the route structure and each international destination as soon as other more immediate problems are addressed.
The airline added:
“We appeal to all passengers to kindly bear with us as the decision is to ensure that the airline adheres strictly to international aviation best practices.
“To our international creditors, Arik is most grateful for your patience and understanding. We reassure them that all pending issues with the airline will be duly addressed as a matter of priority as we plan to engage them in this regard”.