Arik Air
File:Arik Air Logo.png | |||||||
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Founded | 2002 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Commenced operations | 30 October 2006 | ||||||
Hubs | |||||||
Secondary hubs | Kotoka International Airport | ||||||
Frequent-flyer program | Arik Affinity Wings | ||||||
Fleet size | 22 | ||||||
Destinations | 20 | ||||||
Parent company | Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria | ||||||
Headquarters | Arik Air Aviation Center Murtala Muhammed International Airport Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria | ||||||
Key people | Capt. Roy Ilegbodu | ||||||
Website | www |
Arik Air is a Nigerian airline operating mainly from two hubs at Murtala Muhammed International Airport near Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.[1] Arik Air's head office is the Arik Air Aviation Center on the grounds of Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja.[2] Arik Air serves a network of regional and mid-haul destinations within Africa.
History
Early years
![]() | This section needs expansion with: events from 2002 to 2006. You can help by adding to it. (November 2011) |
On 3 April 2006, Arik Air took over the former Nigeria Airways facilities in Lagos,[3] some three years after its liquidation, and began reconstruction work. On 14 June 2006, Arik took delivery of 2 new Bombardier CRJ-900 aircraft to fly domestic routes throughout Nigeria and, within the African continent from Summer 2006, 2 ex-United Airlines Boeing 737–300s and 3 50 seat Bombardier CRJ-200 aircraft.
In August 2006, the Federal Ministry of Aviation granted Arik Air authorisation to fly to Trinidad and Tobago and Amsterdam, London and Madrid in Europe. Furthermore, the airline then planned to fly to Atlanta, Miami, and Houston in the United States and Birmingham in the United Kingdom. On 30 October 2006, Arik Air began scheduled passenger flights with four flights between Lagos and Abuja using CRJ 900 aircraft. Flight operations began to Calabar on 15 November 2006 and services to Benin City and Enugu started on 7 January 2007.[4] The airline was wholly owned by Ojemai Investments.[1]
The Nigerian government set a deadline of 30 April 2007 for all airlines operating in the country to re-capitalise or be grounded in an effort to ensure better services and safety. The airline satisfied the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA)’s criteria in terms of re-capitalisation and was re-registered for operation.[citation needed]
On 4 April 2008, Arik Air was given permission to fly to the United States by the US Department of Transportation.[5] Arik Air started international operations to London-Heathrow on 15 December 2008, using an Airbus A340-500 aircraft damp-leased from Hi Fly.[6] It added Johannesburg on 1 June 2009,[7] New York JFK on 30 November 2009,[8] and Dubai on 28 July 2014.
Subsidiary airline Arik Niger (IATA code: Q9) commenced operations in April 2009, but was shut down in February 2010.[9]
Development since 2010
Arik Air transported its 5 millionth passenger on 6 August 2010[10] and it transported its 10 millionth passenger on 18 September 2012, both on flights between Johannesburg and Lagos.[11]
On 20 September 2012, the airline cancelled all its domestic operations after aviation officials raided the airline's office in Lagos, Nigeria.[12] Flights resumed on 23 September.[13]
Arik Air had placed an order for five Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, which was cancelled in 2011.[14] Arik Air then placed an order for two Boeing 747-8I aircraft 2013.[15][16] However, in early 2017, Arik Air converted the 747-8I orders to two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners instead.[17] Arik Air had been the last remaining airline customer for the passenger 747-8 (who had not yet received any examples).
The conversion of the 747-8 order to Dreamliners came shortly after the airline, owing to major financial stress and most aircraft not being operational, was taken over by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) at the start of 2017, deeming the airline as too big to fail. Since the takeover, all flights leaving Africa, along with flights to O.R. Tambo International Airport, have been gradually suspended.[18][19] Simultaneously, KPMG was appointed by AMCON to conduct a forensic audit on Arik Air's books.[20] Since then, AMCON is gradually in the process of reviving and stabilising the airline and its operations.[21]
Destinations
Arik Air has built up a domestic network covering mainly Nigerian and several other Western African destinations.
Incidents and accidents
- On March 31, 2010, a presumably mentally ill man crashed his car through two security gates and into a parked Arik Air Boeing 737-700 at Calabar airport. The driver claimed to have been sent by Jesus to punish sinners as he felt that all Nigerians were sinners and must repent or perish. No one was hurt as a result of the incident and the aircraft did not suffer significant damage.[22]
- On March 8, 2018, the pilot of Arik Air flight W3 304 from Lagos to Accra declared an emergency when an unknown source of the smoke was detected in the cabin 81 miles from their destination. The Bombardier Dash 8 landed safely in Ghana and no passenger or crew was injured as a result of the incident[23].
Fleet
Current fleet
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Arik_Air_Boeing_737-800_5N-MJN_in_LHR.jpg/220px-Arik_Air_Boeing_737-800_5N-MJN_in_LHR.jpg)
As of August 2018, the Arik Air fleet consists of the following aircraft:[24]
Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
C | Y | Total | ||||
Boeing 737-700 | 9 | — | 12 | 112 | 124 | |
12 | 119 | 131 | ||||
— | 149 | 149 | ||||
Boeing 737-800 | 4 | — | 16 | 132 | 148 | |
Boeing 737 MAX 8 | — | 8[25] | TBA | |||
Boeing 787-9 | — | 9[25] | TBA | 2 orders converted from Boeing 747-8s[17] | ||
Bombardier CRJ900 | 4 | — | 10 | 62 | 74 | |
Bombardier CRJ1000 | 1 | — | 12 | 88 | 100 | |
Bombardier Q400 | 4 | — | 10 | 62 | 72 | |
Total | 22 | 17 |
Former fleet
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/Arik_Air_Airbus_A330-223_5N-JIC.jpg/220px-Arik_Air_Airbus_A330-223_5N-JIC.jpg)
Arik Air previously operated the following aircraft:[citation needed]
Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Airbus A330-200 | 3 | 2010 | 2017 | |
Airbus A340-500 | 2 | 2009 | 2015 | operated by Hi Fly |
Boeing 737-300 | 2 | 2006 | 2010 | |
Bombardier CRJ-200ER | 3 | 2007 | 2008 | |
Bombardier Q300 | 3 | 2007 | 2010 | |
Fokker 50 | 5 | 2007 | 2011 |
See also
References
- ^ a b "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 27 March 2007. p. 77.
- ^ "New aircraft to make arik air the largest commercial carrier in nigeria arik air reflects on six months of flying “the new experience”." Arik Air. 28 March 2007. Archived from Retrieved on 8 September 2010. "For more information, please contact: Gbemiga Ogunieye, Head of Communications, Arik Air Ltd, Arik Air Aviation Centre, Murtula Muhammed Domestic Airport, PO Box 10468, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria."
- ^ "About Arik Air." Arik Air. 15 June 2006. Retrieved on 3 December 2010.
- ^ Arik Air website retrieved 4 February 2007
- ^ "Notice of Action Taken re: Arik Air Limited". U.S. Department of Transportation. 4 April 2008.
- ^ "Arik Air's First Flight to London Heathrow a Success". Arik Air. 15 December 2008. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
- ^ Arik Air arrives in Johannesburg, Arik Air, 2 June 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
- ^ Arik makes historic flight into New York, Vanguard (Nigerian newspaper), dd. 1 December 2009
- ^ http://www.apanews.net/apa.php?page=eco_article&id_article=69866[dead link]
- ^ "Arik Air reaches milestone carrying 5 millionth passenger during summer period". African Aviation. 10 September 2010. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Media centre | Arik Air Official Website". www.arikair.com. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
- ^ "Nigeria's Arik Air cancels domestic flights". BBC News. 20 September 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
- ^ "Nigeria's Arik Air resumes flight operations today". Nigeria Vanguard. 23 September 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://active.boeing.com/commercial/orders/displaystandardreport.cfm?cboCurrentModel=747&optReportType=AllModels&cboAllModel=747&ViewReportF=View+Report
- ^ Boeing 747-8#Orders and deliveries
- ^ a b Nigeria’s Arik Air switches Boeing 747-8s with 787-9s, accessed January 28, 2017
- ^ "Premium Times Nigeria". Premium Times Nigeria. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
- ^ Arik Air suspends flights to London, Johannesburg, accessed February 15, 2017
- ^ AMCON appoints KPMG to audit Arik Air, accessed February 15, 2017
- ^ guardian.ng - Arik Air gets better, says AMCON 26 February 2017
- ^ "Crazed driver rams car into a passenger plane in security breach at Nigerian airport". Daily Mail. 1 April 2010.
- ^ "Arik Air Reacts After 'Smoking' Plane Makes Emergency Landing". Channels TV. 9 March 2018.
- ^ "Global Airline Guide 2018 (Part One)". Airliner World (October 2018): 22.
{{cite journal}}
:|access-date=
requires|url=
(help) - ^ a b boeing.com - Orders & Deliveries retrieved 18 February 2017
External links
Media related to Arik Air at Wikimedia Commons