There were
conflicting reports on Friday night with sources claiming that the Managing
Director of Aero Contractors, Nigeria’s second biggest airline, Captain Akin
George, has been sacked.
But the airline debunked the rumour as
unfounded.
Sources said Aero boss was sacked today
and replaced by a nominee of the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria,
AMCON.
Since AMCON took over the airline few
months ago over bad debts, a new management was expected.
The news of the sack if confirmed would
further expose the crisis-ridden aviation industry in Africa’s most populous
nation as weak and unstable.
The 51 year old Aero Contractors airline
is one of the four major commercial airlines in Nigeria and the oldest among
them.
Two other, Dana Air and Air Nigeria are
not in the skies.
While Air Nigeria has suspended operations
for a year on account of bankruptcy, Dana Air has not resumed operation since
the 3 June plane crash.
The Central Bank of Nigeria had announced
that all credits to Aero should be halted because of its $200 million loan.
“We can confirm that Aero’s debt has been
taken over by AMCON. Currently Aero is going through a restructuring exercise
under AMCON, pending final approval by AMCON board which is expected very
soon,” said Mr. Omoke Enyi, Aero Contractors Chief Financial Officer.
Aero, the preferred airline by
multinational oil companies, is Nigeria’s oldest private airline. With the
technical support the technical support offered by the Canadian Helicopters
Corporation (CHC), the world’s largest commercial helicopter operator, Aero has
played a key role in the oil and gas operation in Nigeria.
On its website, Aero, which is based in
Lagos, says it operates a “combined fleet of around 20 helicopters and 15 fixed
wing aircraft ranging from 50 seat Dash 8 to 144 seat Boeing 737-400/500,
employing about 1,300 personnel”.
Aero Contractors of Nigeria was formed in
1959 as a wholly owned by Schreiner Airways B.V of the Netherlands. It became a
company with initially 40% Nigerian holding in 1973 and subsequently 60% in
1976.
In January 2004 Schreiner Airways was
bought by Canadian Helicopter Corporation(CHC) which acquired 40 per cent
holding of Aero contractors while 60 per cent majority share remained within
the Ibru family group.
Currently, Aero is wholly owned by the
Ibru family and is said to be managed by Mrs. Cecilia Ibru, the disgraced
managing director of defunct Oceanic Bank.
The Company started in the early 1960′s as
an air charter operator.From this beginning in the 1970′s,Aero has gone-on to
provide both rotary and fixed wing services to all the major oil,gas and
related support companies working in Nigeria and in West Africa sub-region.