The umbrella body for domestic airlines in Nigeria, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), has come out to debunk allegations that Nigerian airlines were blacklisted over refusal to pay lessors’ fees.
The body on Thursday through a statement signed by its Spokesman, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo noted that two of the airlines, Air Peace and Azman Air were in fact victims of fraud by some lessors, to the tune of $3million.
The report by Business Day had claimed that 13 airlines, including Aero Contractors, Air Peace, Arik, Azman, Dana, Green Africa, Ibom Air, Max Air, United Nigeria Airline, and Valuejet, were blacklisted for refusing to pay lessor fees.
But the AON frowned at the report, describing it as ‘entirely false, malicious and defamatory.’
“We want to state that Nigerian airlines have consistently worked very hard to meet their contractual obligations with lessors despite operating within a challenging business environment. It is also a well-known fact that the Minister for Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, since assuming office, acknowledged the challenges domestic operators face and has made concerted efforts to create an enabling environment for us to operate.
“For the public’s information, two of the airlines mentioned – Air Peace and Azman – have themselves been victims of fraud by lessors, incurring losses exceeding $3 million.”
“Despite these setbacks, domestic airlines have remained committed to serving the Nigerian public and contributing to National Economic development.
“We find the publication of such inaccuracies very disheartening. We see it as a calculated attempt to erode confidence and to destroy the aviation industry.
While demanding immediate retraction of the report and apology from the Newspaper with the same prominence given to the stories, the AON said, ‘in the absence of a satisfactory response, we may be forced to file a complaint with relevant media oversight bodies, take legal action or both to protect our reputation’.
