Arik Air has suspended flights to London and Johannesburg.
This was confirmed by Jude Nwauzor, the spokesperson of the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON), in a statement released on Tuesday.
AMCON had taken over the airline last week, following its huge indebtedness to the company and other creditors.
Nwauzor explained that the suspension will help them find lasting solution to Arik’s problems, after carrying out a thorough assessment.
He said: “The strategic business decision is meant to realign our operations and refocus on satisfying our domestic and West Africa and other international passengers.
“It will also present Arik with excellent opportunity to engage and discuss with creditors who have become restive since the intervention and have also understandably exhausted their patience due to non-payment of accumulated debt and non-performance on services and contracts.”
Nwauzor also confirmed that all international passengers affected will be refunded.
“To our international creditors, Arik is most grateful for your patience and understanding.
“We reassure them that all pending issues with the airline will be duly addressed as a matter of priority as we plan to engage them in this regard.
“We appeal to all passengers to kindly bear with us as the decision is to ensure that the airline adheres strictly to international aviation best practices,” he said.