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 wet-leased from Hi Fly.[6] It added to its destinations 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 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]
Due to Arik Air's debt, the airline is projected to merge with Aero Contractors.[22][23][24] It has also been revealed that this new airline merger is to be re-branded as Nigeria Eagle (styled as NG Eagle),[25][26] with some of the aircraft already re-painted to represent the new livery.[27] It is speculated by many to be another attempt to re-establish a national airline by AMCON, even though they have officially dissociated any relations with the plans; stating that they were going to make a start-up airline.[28]
On 8 March 2018, the pilot of Arik Air flight W3 304 from Lagos to Accra declared an emergency when an unknown source of smoke was detected in the cabin 81 miles (70 nmi; 130 km) from their destination. The Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 landed safely in Ghana and no passenger or crew member was injured as a result of the incident.[30]
^"Will Arik Air merge to survive?". www.africanaerospace.aero. African Aerospace. 4 December 2020. Archived from the original on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
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