Arik Plane Still Grounded In Senegal Six Days After

The financial crisis steamrolling  Arik Air has spread to Senegal with one of its planes still grounded in the West African country, six days after it was impounded by the authorities, our correspondent learnt today.

Hundreds of passengers were still stranded this afternoon, it was gathered.

It was learnt that some have been sleeping at Dakar international airport since the plane was impounded on Wednesday 13 July.

Aviation authorities in Dakar, the Senegalese capital, impounded the aircraft over about N2 billion debt the airline accumulated within two years, it was gathered.

The communication manager of the debt-plagued airline, Mr Ola Banji, yesterday and today told our correspondent on telephone that ‘everything was resolved’ but sources said that the airline remains grounded.

He said: “passengers have been refunded their fares and the problem has been resolved. The engineers are just seeking clearance for the aircraft to leave Dakar. All is well.”

But passengers who spoke with a radio station in Nigeria today excoriated the airline for abandoning them and called on the Nigerian authorities to intervene before it is too late.

Media reports said that the Senegalese Directorate of Civil Aviation had disclosed that the aircraft was seized after the airline defaulted on earlier agreements to pay off landing fees accumulated for two years.

The authorities impounded the plane minutes before it was to take off enroute to Lagos with hundreds of Nigerian on board.

It was learnt that the aircraft was impounded along with passengers’ luggage.

The incident came only days after the new Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Adaeze Oduah, gave Arik Air thirty days to pay off over N2 billion navigational charges it reportedly owes the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, or be grounded.

The airline has denied owing NAMA navigational charges and berated NAMA for misinforming the minister.

The indebted airline is said to be owing banks billions of naira and had delayed or cancelled flights in recent times as it struggled to pay oil marketers.

By Simon Ateba