Arik CEO promises safety, says takeover is a real blessing

Roy Ilegbodu, the chief executive officer of Arik Air, says the takeover of the airline facilitated by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) is a real blessing.

“Irrespective of the enemies of the government and their resolve to transform the carrier, the management of Arik (under Receivership) is not distracted,” Arik said via a statement on Friday.

“Arik will continue to maintain the highest operational and safety standards, which the airline has been known for since its inception in 2006,” the statement added,  stating that the takeover  and the appointment of a receiver/ manager has not in any way eroded the confidence of the flying public and all other business partners of the largest carrier in Nigeria.

Ilegbodu, a veteran aviation expert with over 30 years’ experience, say the airline is more safety conscious than the former management of the airline that showed no regard to critical details that are needed to run a sensitive business like an airline.

Ilegbodu is said to have worked as a regulator when he served the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and had successfully managed at least two major airlines in the country.

The new Arik management team took over the affairs of Arik in February, and claimed to have met a depleted fleet and 18 unserviceable aircraft, without a single spare part in the store, which is highly unethical and dangerous in aviation business.

“We met an airline that was almost dead and our coming will go down in history as a real blessing,” Ilegbodu said.

The statement added that none of Arik’s former management members can claim to be more experienced than Captain Roy in  aviation business.

“Those who know his antecedents will testify to his professionalism and safety consciousness. As a matter of fact, he walks, sleeps and thinks safety all the time, which is why industry experts believe that Arik is headed to the path of recovery with him at the helm of operations,” the statement added.

“Arik management also wishes to inform the public that the Maintenance/Engineering department of the airline is still alive to its responsibility of ensuring reliability, monitoring, original equipment manufacturers service letters and American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) notifications, and ensuring that Arik Air’s fleet is maintained according to standards complimenting Airworthiness at all times.”

The new management has ordered more aircraft spares, which have started arriving and in the coming days more aircraft will become serviceable and ready to join the fleet.