Aero Contractors, Nigeria’s oldest airline, today, resumed scheduled services, saying past failures will not be repeated.to resume
The resumption comes nearly five months after it suspended operations in July, due to a number of challenges including funding.
Speaking at the news conference in Lagos on Thursday, Aero’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Ado Sanusi, explained that the suspension was to reposition and restructure the company.
Sanusi said having satisfied regulatory requirements; Aero Contactors received approval from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authorities (NCAA) to resume operations.
He noted that the airline has employed Charles Grant as its new Chief Finance Officer (CFO), and will be run by a new management.
Sanusi said: “The airline will be operating with Boeing 737 and dash 8 (Q-400) servicing ten destinations. These destinations include; Warri, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja, Benin, Yola, Sokoto, Kano, Asaba and Calabar.
“The airline has three business units, namely; the maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO), the fixed and rotary wing airline operation and the training unit.”
We have looked at what actually caused the failures of the past and we are very determined not to repeat the same mistakes or to expect the same results.
Sanusi said the resumption of services means that more products will be offered to cater for the flying public who have “had a lot of hardship due to capacity reduction in the airline industry, which has resulted in price increase.”
He said the airline plans to stabilise the market by bringing in a lot of capacity into the system, especially during the Christmas season.
He continued: “We believe with the hardship that Nigerians are going through, we should be able to provide a good way of transporting people to their loved ones at a very affordable rate.
“We are pleased and delighted to return to services after a few months. We are determined to offer a great travel experience to our customers during this season and beyond.”
He added that to sustain operations and prevent future sanctions by the NCAA, the airline conducted a study on previous events that led to its suspension, which further delayed the resumption of services.
“We believe and we are confident that the mistakes of the past will not repeat itself. We have looked at what actually caused the failures of the past and we are very determined not to repeat the same mistakes or to expect the same results,” Sanusi said.
Similarly, Grant said the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) is “fully committed to returning Aero Contractors back to the skies,” and will ensure that the airline receives the necessary support to sustain its services.
He said: “They have very robust qualified teams working within AMCON, ensuring that Aero receives the necessary funding it requires, ensuring that Aero receives the necessary technical support it requires.
“And we’re confident that with the support of AMCON, the staff, and the larger aviation sector, we’ll be able to deliver services that are not just meeting the market, exceeding expectations.
“With the competence and capacity of our management team, we will also be minimising and mitigating inefficiencies and driving up efficiency, increasing the value we’re offering to the market.”
