the operations of Arik Air.
Michael Achimugu, the director of public affairs and
consumer protection at the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), announced
the development in a post on social media on Thursday.
This comes more than a week after the airline’s planes were
grounded over a dispute between Atlas Petroleum and Arik Air.
However, Achimugu said the conflict has been resolved.
“The Honourable
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo SAN, and the DG
of NCAA, Capt. Chris Najomo has successfully resolved the impasse between Arik
Air and Atlas Petroleum,” he said.
“By this resolution, Arik Air will begin operations today.
“The priority of the Minister and the NCAA remains to ensure
safe and secure air travel for all passengers.
“Arik Air passengers
are currently checking in for scheduled flights.”
On July 30, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA)
said it grounded some aircraft belonging to Arik Air after a federal high court
order.
The agency said the court’s order was regarding a case of
$2.5 million owed by Arik to Atlas Petroleum International Ltd.
Prior to this, Roy Ilegbodu, chief executive officer (CEO)
of Arik Air (in receivership), had said the directive to ground the airline’s
planes was without warning or consultation.
The decision affected the operations of Chevron as the
company could not get flights to drilling sites in the Niger Delta the
following day.
In a statement on August 2, the NCAA clarified that the
grounding of Arik Air aircraft does not include a suspension of the airline’s
overall operations.
Aviation unions further called on President Bola Tinubu to
direct aviation agencies to lift the embargo on four Arik Air aircraft.
The union said the move has intensified frustration among
passengers and exacerbated existing challenges in the country’s air travel
sector.
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