Nigerian Airlines Debunk Blacklisting Claims by Business Day
The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has vehemently denied a recent report published by Business Day alleging that 13 Nigerian airlines have been blacklisted for failing to pay aircraft lessor fees.
In a statement signed by Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, the AON addressed the claims made in the July 17, 2024, edition of Business Day, which accused major airlines such as Aero Contractors, Air Peace, Arik, Azman, Dana, Green Africa, Ibom Air, Max Air, United Nigeria Airline, and Valuejet of contract breaches with aircraft leasing companies.
The follow-up story on the Business Day website further alleged that these airlines refuted the blacklisting claims without any official comment from the airlines’ management.
The AON Spokesperson, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, categorically denied these allegations, branding the initial report as “false, malicious, and defamatory.” He expressed disappointment with Business Day for not retracting the false information and instead, fabricating further claims in an attempt to justify the erroneous report.
“Nigerian airlines have consistently worked very hard to meet their contractual obligations with lessors despite operating within a challenging business environment,” Okonkwo stated.
He highlighted that since assuming office, the Minister for Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has acknowledged the challenges faced by domestic operators and has made concerted efforts to create an enabling environment.
Okonkwo also pointed out that two of the airlines mentioned in the report, Air Peace and Azman, have themselves been victims of fraud by lessors, incurring losses exceeding $3 million. Despite these setbacks, the airlines have remained committed to serving the Nigerian public and contributing to national economic development.
The AON spokesperson condemned the publication of such inaccuracies, viewing it as a calculated attempt to erode confidence and damage the aviation industry.
The AON demands an immediate retraction of the report and an apology from Business Day with the same level of prominence given to the original false stories.
Failing this, the AON warns that they may file a complaint with relevant media oversight bodies and consider legal action to protect their reputation.
The statement: “The attention of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has been drawn to a report published on the cover page of Business Day on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, titled: ’13 Nigerian Airlines Blacklisted for Contract Breaches’ and a follow up story on its website also on July 17, titled: ‘Air Peace, Ibom Air, United Nigeria, Max Air, others say not blacklisted by lessors.’
“The first report claimed that 13 airlines, including Aero Contractors, Air Peace, Arik, Azman, Dana, Green Africa, Ibom Air, Max Air, United Nigeria Airline, and Valuejet, were blacklisted for refusing to pay aircraft lessor fees.
“The second report claimed that airline operators denied owing lessors even when the newspaper did not officially speak with the managements of the airlines it listed in its earlier report. For the avoidance of doubt, we categorically state that the first report is entirely false, malicious and defamatory.
“The second report is even worse as the newspaper, instead of doing the honourable thing required of it for publishing falsehood- that is retraction- it started concocting information to justify a fake news.
“We want to state that Nigerian airlines have consistently worked very hard to meet their contractual obligations with lessors despite operating within a challenging business environment.
“It is also a well-known fact that the Minister for Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, since assuming office, acknowledged the challenges domestic operators face and has made concerted efforts to create an enabling environment for us to operate.
“For the public’s information, two of the airlines mentioned – Air Peace and Azman – have themselves been victims of fraud by lessors, incurring losses exceeding $3 million.
“Despite these setbacks, domestic airlines have remained committed to serving the Nigerian public and contributing to National Economic development.
“We find the publication of such inaccuracies very disheartening. We see it as a calculated attempt to erode confidence and to destroy the aviation industry.
“We demand an immediate retraction of the report and apology by Businessday with the same prominence given to the inaccurate cover stories.
“In the absence of a satisfactory response, we may be forced to file a complaint with relevant media oversight bodies, take legal action or both to protect our reputation.”
Prof. Obiora Okonkwo OFRS,
Spokesperson of AON.
