Arik Air

By Olatunji Franklyn
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December 01, 2022
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Arik Air is an indigenous Nigerian airline. The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and Murtala Muhammed International Airport serves as the airlines major hubs. The Arik Air Aviation Center, located on the grounds of Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, serves as the headquarters. The airline offers service to several regional and long-distance locations across Africa.

About Arik Air

Joseph Arumemi-Ikhide founded the airline in 2004 from the remains of Nigeria Airways, which had been dissolved in 2002. The Federal Ministry of Aviation authorized Arik Air to travel to Trinidad and Tobago as well as Amsterdam, London, and Madrid in Europe in August 2006. The airline also had plans to travel to Birmingham in the UK as well as Atlanta, Miami, and Houston in the United States.

The US Department of Transportation authorized the airline to travel to the US on April 4, 2008. On December 15, 2008, Arik Air began international flights to London Heathrow utilizing an Airbus A340-500 that was wet-leased from Hi Fly. Johannesburg, New York JFK, and Dubai were all introduced on June 1, 2009, November 30, 2009, and July 28, 2014, respectively. In April 2009, subsidiary airline Arik Niger (IATA code: Q9) launched operations; however, it was terminated in February 2010.

On flights between Johannesburg and Lagos, The airline carried its 5 millionth passenger on August 6, 2010, and its 10 millionth passenger on September 18, 2012. After aviation inspectors conducted a raid on the airline's office in Lagos, Nigeria, on September 20, 2012, the airline canceled all of its domestic flights. On September 23, flights were resumed. Five Boeing 777-300ER aircraft were part of an order for Arik Air that was canceled in 2011. Then in 2013, Arik Air made an order for two Boeing 747-8I planes.

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Early in 2017, The aviation giant changed the two Boeing 747-8I orders to two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. The passenger 747-8's final remaining airline customer was Arik Air (who had not yet received any examples).The airline was taken over by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) at the beginning of 2017 because of severe financial difficulties and the fact that the majority of its aircraft were not in service. AMCON viewed the airline as too big to fail and converted the 747-8 order to Dreamliners shortly after. All flights out of Africa as well as those landing at O.R. Tambo International Airport have been gradually grounded since the takeover.

KPMG was simultaneously chosen by AMCON to carry out a forensic audit of Arik Air's financial records. Since that time, AMCON has been working to progressively revive and stabilize the airline and its operations.The company is expected to merge with Aero Contractors as a result of its debt. Additionally, it has been disclosed that this new airline merger will change its name to Nigeria Eagle (styled as NG Eagle), with some of the aircraft having already undergone the new livery's paint job.

Despite the fact that AMCON has publicly denied any involvement in the plans and instead stated that they were intending to create a start-up airline, many people believe it to be yet another attempt by AMCON to re-establish a national airline.

Arik Air Destinations

Arik Air has established a domestic network that mostly serves Nigeria and other Western African states. In the past, it additionally provided service to further-flung and intercontinental locations in the United Kingdom and the United States.