Nigerian carrier Arik Air has announced a temporarily
suspension of further flights from Lagos via Abuja to Dubai, the United
Arab Emirates.
The flights from Lagos airport via Abuja to Dubai were started by the airline nine months ago. However, Arik Air announced the suspension of the service on April 29, 2015, Wednesday.
The company also informed that the recent flight delays and cancellations being experienced by the airline’s passengers in the last few days were due to the scarcity of aviation fuel (Jet A1) in Lagos.
– a challenging wider economic environment in Nigeria;
– increasingly stringent travel regulation controls in the UAE;
– the inability of the airline to compete on the route with Emirates and Etihad, which many air travellers see as the major players on the route (unofficial, from a source close to a company).
With the suspension, Arik Air became the second Nigerian carrier to stop operations to the UAE few months after commencement. Air Nigeria had suspended operations into the route a few months after starting them due to unhealthy rivalry between it and Emirates Airlines.
When Air Nigeria began the route then, the UAE carrier brought down its fares astronomically, which affected the revenues of the Nigerian airline.
– flights were delayed or cancelled in cases where the destination airport had no airfield lighting;
– flights were diverted to other airports outside Lagos where the Jet A1 was readily available.
In its statement, Arik Air apologised to its passengers over the inconvenience, describing the cause as “circumstances beyond the control of the airline.”
It will be noted that cancellations and the bad attitude to customers by the staff of the company has recently resulted in tensions at the MMIA, Lagos. See more in the video below:
The flights from Lagos airport via Abuja to Dubai were started by the airline nine months ago. However, Arik Air announced the suspension of the service on April 29, 2015, Wednesday.
The company also informed that the recent flight delays and cancellations being experienced by the airline’s passengers in the last few days were due to the scarcity of aviation fuel (Jet A1) in Lagos.
Why the route is suspended from May 4, 2015, Monday.
The reasons given by the company are:– a challenging wider economic environment in Nigeria;
– increasingly stringent travel regulation controls in the UAE;
– the inability of the airline to compete on the route with Emirates and Etihad, which many air travellers see as the major players on the route (unofficial, from a source close to a company).
With the suspension, Arik Air became the second Nigerian carrier to stop operations to the UAE few months after commencement. Air Nigeria had suspended operations into the route a few months after starting them due to unhealthy rivalry between it and Emirates Airlines.
When Air Nigeria began the route then, the UAE carrier brought down its fares astronomically, which affected the revenues of the Nigerian airline.
No aviation fuel = problems of the passengers?!
The company requires a daily supply of between 600,000 and 800,000 litres of aviation fuel. However, scarcity hit Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, with the first signs appearing on April 23, 2015, Thursday. As a result:– flights were delayed or cancelled in cases where the destination airport had no airfield lighting;
– flights were diverted to other airports outside Lagos where the Jet A1 was readily available.
In its statement, Arik Air apologised to its passengers over the inconvenience, describing the cause as “circumstances beyond the control of the airline.”
It will be noted that cancellations and the bad attitude to customers by the staff of the company has recently resulted in tensions at the MMIA, Lagos. See more in the video below:
