The Senate Committee on Aviation has joined its counterpart at the House of Representatives to direct the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), to stop forthwith, the issuance of Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) to NG Eagle, an airline being muted by the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON).
A letter signed by the chairman of the committee, Senator Smart Adeyemi, to the NCAA on October 11, 2021 , made reference to a joint petition to the Senate by the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP) and Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) branch. The joint petition challenges the application for AOC by Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) to NG Eagle.
“The petition categorically stipulated that the application for AOC is unrealistic and unfeasible as the debt profile of Arik Airlines which is presently under receivership by AMCON is enormous. Therefore, the notion that AOC be granted to NG Eagle while it uses Arik aircraft which accounts for part of the assets of Arik Airlines will invariably undermine the receivership.
“The petition categorically stipulated that the application for AOC is unrealistic and unfeasible as the debt profile of Arik Air which is presently under receivership by AMCON is enormous. Therefore, the notion that AOC be granted to NG Eagle while it uses Arik Air aircraft which accounts for part of the assets of Arik Air will invariably undermine the receivership.
“Having carefully considered the submission by the unions, the Senate Committee on Aviation in consonance with the House Committee on Aviation hereby directs you to immediately suspend the issuance of AOC to NG Eagle. The essence of this suspension is to enable the committee and relevant authorities to carry out a thorough investigation on all allegations leveled by the unions in the petition. The Committee expects full compliance with this directive until a workable resolution is achieved”, the letter reads.
