The management of Arik Air has declared 300 staff redundant amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This was contained in a statement issued today Friday by the airline’s spokesman, Adebanji Ola.
“Arising from the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to the constrained ability of the airline to complete heavy maintenance activities and return its planes to operations, stunted revenues against increasing operational costs, the management of Arik Air [In Receivership] has declared 300 staff members redundant to its current level of operations,” the statement partly read.
“The leadership of the impacted unions have been contacted to negotiate a redundancy package for the affected staff.”
The statement noted that over “50 percent of Arik Air’s workforce of over 1,600 staff” has been on an unpaid leave of absence in the past six months on a base allowance.
While noting that decisions to let go of staff are naturally a difficult one, the airline wished the impacted staff well in their future endeavours.
Banji also added in a telephone interview with African Travel Times Magazine that the management can no longer bear the excesses of the union for not showing an understanding of the enormity of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the aviation industry.
He noted that this is the second time in three months that the unions had disrupted the airline’s operations first in September and now December.
By Our Correspondent [Lagos]