AIR Nigeria has announced the suspension of all its operations
-local, regional and international – with effect from Monday, September10,
2012.
The suspension, according to the management of the
frontline airline, is largely due to staff disloyalty and environmental
tension, “which are not conducive for business in the aviation sector.”
In a statement yesterday, the management of the airline
expressed regrets for any inconvenience the decision would cause its loyal
passengers on all the routes and advised passengers to contact agents from whom
they had purchased tickets for refunds.
Reacting to the development, the Chairman of the
airline, Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim, OFR, said it was difficult to continue
further investment in the airline, with the high level of staff disloyalty and
weak business environment.
“But we are strongly committed to ensuring that Air
Nigeria survives,” he added.
He said about 50 loyal staff from various departments
of the airline had been selected with a mandate to recommence business within
12 months, while other staff had been relieved of their employment effective
from the last day of work on their various routes.
Dr. Ibrahim thanked the stakeholders for their massive
support in the last two years of the operation of Air Nigeria under the new
management.
The corporate turn-around expert explained that the
suspension of all the operations of Air Nigeria was not unusual.
According to him, “Corporations are like individuals
who naturally will get sick and the usual thing to do is to admit them to
hospitals, either for corporate surgery or for treatment, as the case may be.
During such a period, it is not likely that they will work in full capacity,
depending on the nature of the illness.”
The airline’s suspension of operations, he added, was
not due to load factor, but largely to staff disloyalty and weak business
environment.
This is the second time Jimoh Ibrahim will be running down an airline after he also bought over EAS Airlines and within months ran it agroiund.His other major interests includes National Mirror Newspaper,Nicon Luxury Hotel,Nicon Insurance and an oil company ENERGY which he has also liquidated...CKN