Thousands of Arik Air passengers
were stranded yesterday nationwide at Nigerian airports as aviation workers
grounded Nigeria’s largest airline over N18 billion unpaid debts to aviation
agencies.

The stranded passengers sat
helplessly at the General Aviation Terminal in Lagos, as planes remained
grounded and unable to take off.

The protest by three unions was
held with loud speakers, placards, dancing and booing.

The unions; the Air Transport
Service Senior Staff Association (ATSSSAN), the National Association of Aircraft
Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) and the National Union of Air Transport Employees
(NUATE), are staff of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the
Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and the National Airspace Management
Agency (NAMA).

ATSSSAN Deputy General, Mr.
Olayinka Abioye, said the protest was to “send a clear message to the Federal
Government that because this is our farmland, we do not want the industry to
collapse.”

He queried: “How can a single
airline be owing aviation agencies a colossal sum of N18 billion without the
Federal Government doing anything about it?

“Letters have been written
severally, meetings have been called severally, none has been honoured by Arik
management.”

As he spoke, other aviation
workers cheered him up, saying “No retreat, no surrender.”

Abioye further said: “Aviation
workers have decided, and we are very resolute, that until the N18 billion that
Arik owes all the agencies under the Federal Ministry of Aviation is paid, no
flight of Arik will take off in any airport in Nigeria.

“Let Arik continue in its
blackmail. This morning when Arik and the Commissioner of Police had a meeting
with us, they said, there is an injunction with FAAN and that the matter has to
go to court in October. But what has the injunction with FAAN to do with the
money that you owe?

“The debts must be paid for the
aviation industry to thrive. The sustainability of the industry is our number
one priority. Because it is only when the aviation industry survives and
thrives than anyone of us can claim that we have jobs here.

“So, you allow one charlatan who
stole the Nigerian people’s money through another deceitful means and brings
the money to the aviation industry to come and set up an airline, and also
wants to cheat us, we say a capital NO.

“Arik just said they have
suspended its operations until further notice. We too are going to ground their
operations until further notice.

“This is 50-50. No retreat. No
surrender.”

At the time of going to press,
Arik had suspended its flights nationwide and a press conference was scheduled.

Meanwhile, the Senate Committee on
Aviation has recommended that the airline, owned by Port Harcourt-based
businessman, Dr. Michael Arumemi-Ikhide, should operate as a national carrier
until the Aviation Ministry sets up a new one for Nigeria.

Arik Air, Dana Air, Air Nigeria,
Aero Contractors and others are already flag carriers, but none of them is a
national flag carrier.

According to those with inside
knowledge, a national flag carrier is partly or fully owned by the government
and enjoys rights, privileges and supports not enjoyed by others.

Media reports said last week that
Arik Air intends to become a public quoted company soon, a move analysts say is
in a preparation for their new status.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous
country and second richest economy has been without a national carrier since
the demise of Nigeria Airways in 2003.

Nigeria Airways’ multi-billion
naira facilities were sold to Arik Air for less than a billion naira,
triggering outrage and protests.

Nigeria Airways, which was founded
in 1958 and owned about 30 aircraft in the 1980s, collapsed in 2003 as
corruption brought the airline to its knees.