Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) have suspended the planned flight operations shut down it announced on Friday, which was expected to take effect from Monday.
This was contained in a joint statement issued by the operators on Sunday. The statement was signed by AON President, Abdulmunaf Yunusa Sarina, and other members.
AON said it “has acceded to requests to withdraw the action for the time being” to “allow for a fresh round of dialogue with the government in the hope of reaching an amicable solution.”
The statement read, “The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) wishes to inform the general public that further to numerous calls from the highest echelons in government with promises to urgently intervene in the crises being faced by airlines due to the astronomic and continuously rising cost of JetA1, that the AON has acceded to requests to withdraw the action for the time being while we allow for a fresh round of dialogue with the government in the hope of reaching an amicable solution.
“We have also reached this decision with the highest consideration for our esteemed customers who have been faced with uncertainty over the last few days and to enable them to have access to travel to their various destinations for the time being during the period of discussions with relevant authorities.
“In view of the above and in the interest of national economy and security considerations, AON hereby wishes to notify the general public that the earlier announced shutdown of operations on May 9, 2022 is hereby suspended in good fate pending the outcome of hopefully fruitful engagement with government.”
Other signatories to the statement included Shehu Wada, executive director, Max Air; Obiora Okonkwo, chairman, United Nigeria Airlines; Roy Ilegbodu, chief executive officer (CEO), Arik Air; Abdullahi Mahmood, CEO, Aero Contractors; Faisal Abdulmunaf, managing director, Azman Air; and Allen Onyema, chairman of Air Peace.
Ifunanya Ikueze is an Engineer, Safety Professional, Writer, Investor, Entrepreneur and Educator.
