The managing director of Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Mr. Ahmed Ikuru has stated the corporation’s resolve to reposition Arik Air to take its leading role in the airline-sub-subsector in Nigeria’s aviation industry.
Speaking in Lagos while reacting to Aero Contractors’ successful completion of a C-Check on its B737-500 aircraft, Kuru said what Aero had been able to achieve could be replicated in Arik Air.
“As a recovery agency of the federal government, it was not for us an option to stand aloof and watch, while airlines with rich history are grounded as a result of challenges in management and governance, plus accumulated debt obligations.”
“Intervening in Aero and any other airline in the country was for us a national assignment geared towards both our resolution objective and the need to help in rebuilding the Nigerian economy,” he added.
He stated that aviation is not just a critical sector, but also a strategic and core component of any economy that wants to compete on the global scene.
Commenting on Aero’s feat, the AMCON chief the certification given by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to Aero to conduct C-checks on Boeing 737-500 series would galvanize a boom in the aviation industry.
Kuru also stressed that it costs between $1.8 million and $2million to conduct C-check outside the country, noting that such Aero’s feat would save millions of dollars that Nigerian Airlines would have spent on maintenance abroad.
“I would like to solicit the support for Aero’s maintenance, repair organisation (MRO) by all stakeholders particularly the relevant aviation regulatory bodies, towards ensuring that this seed that has been planted is allowed to grow, in our collective interest as Nigerians.
“We cannot continue to allow capital flight of our scarce foreign exchange towards paying for services that are available in Nigeria and would provide a source of employment for our people. I would like to direct other airlines to use this facility as such would enable Aero’s MRO to grow towards conducting maintenance for other aircraft types,” he said.