Payday at Arik Air

[Oba1kanobe]

28th of the month... payday. Let the clock begin.

Tick

Tock

Tick

Tock

Tick

Tock

[B200Drvr]

I worked for them in 2006 and I am still waiting to be paid

[Oba1kanobe]

It is a very long line indeed, that needs to be paid by Arik.

[The Maestro]

29th of the Month

TICK TOCK. ... TOCK TICK

TICK TICK TOCK.

TOCK TICK.

[Nightrider]

Hedy, it is the 30th already, ahhh...banks are closed, not Arik's fault...:ooh:

[9jarep]

I am curious does ARIK owe its staff in LHR and JFK ???:confused:

[Oba1kanobe]

National Holiday today, so I'm sure tomorrow will be payday :ugh:

Then it will only be 4 days late.

One Arik official famously said that the pay would be "on or about" the 28th, which to most might mean the 26th, or 27th, or maybe 29th or 30th, with weekends and banking holidays.

We never have to worry about early :=

Tick

Tock




Tick

Tock



Tick

Tock

[Oyindo]

An Arik Calendar Month is 46 days long. So tick tocking until the 16th.:rolleyes:

[starliner]

BBC:

Nigerian airlines to get bail-out

Nigeria's central bank is extending a 500bn naira ($3.3bn; £2.3bn) bail-out to its troubled airlines.

The fund, first announced in March, was originally meant to stimulate credit to the power and manufacturing sectors.

The country's aviation industry, already hit by higher fuel costs, has grown rapidly in recent years and many airlines are heavily indebted.

In August 2009, the Central Bank of Nigeria also injected 400bn naira to rescue five banks.

'Avert crisis'

"These airlines can now partake from the fund and those that are indebted to banks can refinance their loans and amortise them over a period of ten to 15 years," the bank's spokesman Mohammed Abdullahi said.

"This we believe will help put off a feared financial crisis in the aviation industry."

Virgin Atlantic has said it is looking to sell its 49% stake in Nigerian Eagle Airlines, formerly Virgin Nigeria.

Nigerian Eagle Airlines suspended its loss-making long-haul routes to the UK and South Africa last year to focus on domestic operations.

[Oba1kanobe]

Whatever money Arik might get would be mismanaged away.

I'd call, but my company phone doesn't work. Bill not paid !!!! :ouch:


Tock, Tick, Tock Tick........................................................ .......

[NaijaNinja]

Is it true they haven't paid? Hearing all sorts right now!

[The Maestro]

JUNE 2, 2010.

Tock, Tick

Tock, Tick,

Tock, Tock.

? ? Tock.

[NaijaNinja]

All affected have to stay strong as long as possible.

I wonder if the shiny new Gl-Ex has been paid for either.

Well, SLS is donating some billions to the sector, time to cut the cake! Now, i wish i'm in that country to eat some of it. Touch luck eh?

[Don K]

June 3rd
Tick Tock, Tick Tock, Tick... Clonk... argh, the clock broke, so now we will never get paid!! :ugh:

[NaijaNinja]

clonk!

lol, funny that one.

[Gidigba]

Definitely not funny,oops,Thot aero had a big prob?**** happens:sad::(,Not good,and not funny.

[Oba1kanobe]

Over a week late. No notes, memos, emails... no nothing. You'd think they don't like us? Was it something we said?

The chairman was flying out this evening in the GlobalX. You'd never know that he's a man who doesn't pay his bills.

[NaijaNinja]

Guys, from the grapevine, i gather that he's waiting for the $700,000 he's charged the Nigerian Government to fly the soccer team into South Africa for this World Cup thingy.

Once he gets that payment, he will buy Naira from the Mallam or CBN and then take it to his local bank and pay the staff after keeping his own profits.

I heard this from one of his key staff and am still bemused!

[HappyPilot]

NaijaNinja I reckon the super muppets should just stay at home this time rather than go and make a fool out of themselves, even with Largerback with them. I dont care how good kanu was, he's got to be at least 50 now. Anyway back to Arumemi, reminds me of how Okada used to treat their employees back in the days to the extent that the owner slapped one of his pilots for not landing on time. He certainly didnt expect the pilot to put his flight bag down, roll his sleeves up and returned a very hot slap back to the owner. We need more of those types of pilots today.

[NaijaNinja]

I understand the staff freeze at the sight of the man, even in social circles. So i wonder if there's anyone with guts to ask why they haven't been paid.

I reckon they should stand up and demand the creation of a Union to fight for them. Question is who has the guts to initiate the process?

[Oba1kanobe]

The best person(s) to form a union at Arik are those who have already been fired / quit / ran from the company, and would like to give something back !!!

I'd like to buy a beer or three this Saturday eve, but without some quid, I'm probably just going to sit and think about how best to form a union.:cool:

[Oyindo]

My Rolex is still ticking ;)

[chuks]

That is the one you bought on Bar Beach for $50, right? I have one too, around here somewhere... Oh, yeah, there it is on my wrist!

[ChiefT]

At least they still have money for new aircraft. A332 is delivered...

[The Maestro]

June 7, 2010.

Tick Tock, Tick Tock

Tick, Tick, Tock Tick

Tock, Tock, Tock Tock.

This watch must be Made in Absurdistan.

[pullup hard]

Hi guys,

Looks to me like "TIA" (this is Africa")..
Got a potential offer with Arik as an A330 Skipper through a UK based broker. Would working for Arik through a broker make life easier or pay day more accurate?
How about the rest? What is it like to work with them? :uhoh:
Fire off, guys or else pm me.

[captplaystation]

Depends on the broker, some will pay you, and pay you on time, regardless of what the cr@p airline does. Others (the majority unfortunately) don't have the foresight/balls to ask the airline for the money in advance, so if they ain't paid, toi non plus.
If there is a clause in the contract stating "if the airline does not pay us we are not responsible Bla Bla Bla", well, don't say they didn't warn you. Tread carefully.

[Don K]

I wonder how the man on the chair(the chairman) can expect his staff to run his airlines with a good interest when he is treating them like this... still no juice!

:ugh:

[pullup hard]

Thx, CaptPlay, will consider that.

Apart from that, anyone more info on rosters, accommodation en route, training, cockpit atmosphere etc? Will the company hold up for another year?

[HappyPilot]

"The Big Oga" syndrome is clearly at play here with Arumemi Johnson and his son. There's money in the company yet he chooses to en slave the workforce. Maybe the pilots dont acknowledge his presence enough, perharps when he comes onboard he's expecting a special PA to the pax informing them the "Big Cheese" is on board, and then maybe all the pax should be asked to stand up and acknowledge him. Something like that. That might bring the pay date back maybe 3days. What he needs is a good beating or perharps a refferal to the EFCC. That tends to humble a lot of these big politicians/thieves.

[exeng]

Leave rotations canceled for all CRJ Pilots as of the other day. Interesting move by the management in the face of recent Pilot resignations.

Pay still not in the bank but we are all getting fairly used to that.

[Oyindo]

Chuck, Glad these dang things still work, but it's slowing down now as everyday passes ticccck toooock. I will be getting it's next wind up, next payday that's if I've got the strength too.

[Oyindo]

Maybe the pilots don't acknowledge his presence enough, perhaps when he comes on board he's expecting a special PA to the pax informing them the "Big Cheese" is on board, and then maybe all the pax should be asked to stand up and acknowledge him.

Not quite so HP. He is like a little mouse on board, seen but not heard, that's until the main gear touches down, then!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

[chuks]

If you or your Bar Beach Rolex need a wind-up you have come to the right place!

[Oba1kanobe]

Ok, just thinking about the registration letters for the chairman's GlobalX:


Very Quickly Broke Johnson Arumemi


With a change in president of Nigeria, there may be a change to the fortunes of Arik's back door flow of government cash. This airline will probably be around in a year or more, but only on momentum. It's a completely leadership devoid entity plowing through time until momentum is spent.

My salary clock is broke, and I have no money to fix it. So, I'll tap on my beer glass:

Tink, Tink, Tink, Tink, Tink..................................

[Oba1kanobe]

Just pulled this from the Virgin Nigeria thread:

"Grapevine has it that W3 CP has put in his letter. Had it up to his gazookas with --- you tell me. Word is end of June, he'll take a graceful exit. Pity. Nice chap.
Gave a lot of guys opportunities on the NG and CRJ, and even A340. Hope he goes to VK."


If I recall, he made a similar announcement last year, with a 1 Sept 2009 date. That never transpired, so don't know if this is just a ploy to demand more money, or not.

[HappyPilot]

I dont know what the poor guy gets a month, but whatever it is, he needs a raise. To put up with all that BS from AJ takes a special kind of person.

@Oyindo, what you need to do is fly him through one of those massive CB's between Benin and PH. That should put the fear of God into him. I'm sure he'll sign all the cheques b4 you land.

[sunset_contrails_10]

Does this mean that they will be hiring pilots?? I need a job.

[Evanelpus]

Does this mean that they will be hiring pilots?? I need a job.

You need your head examining. Great first post, let's hope your next few are as funny as this one!

[Oba1kanobe]

I heard that they shut down the entire Arik fleet this morning for about 2 hours for non-payment of government fees for ATC.

Still no pay check.

Clonk, click, clack, crack, bang, pop, poop.........

[Ghost_Rider737]

If they arent paying you guys at Arik then why do you continue working ?
Maybe im missing something ???:rolleyes:

[exeng]

Yes you are missing something - they pay us, but unfortunately it seems to be always a bit (or a lot) late. Bit like the way they seem to pay for petrol , or anything else for that matter.

Oba1kanobe Your statement is correct as far as Lagos tower stated - however I've since heard that the nav charges were actually paid but that the authorities had lost the record of said payment. I have given up working out who to believe in situations like this.

Anyway the clock is still ticking - no dosh in the bank as of 17:00 today.


Regards
Exeng

[three eighty]

It appears that this is an ongoing problem ar Arik.
You are all well aware of the problem and yet continue to work for free.
As long as you carry on pandering to Arik, they will continue to screw you over at the end of every month.
Arik management have shown their high regard for their workforce so if you want to continue driving their shiny toys around the sky then don't come crying when your pay cheque doesn't arrive.
Vote with your feet, there ARE jobs out there.

[Oba1kanobe]

Vote with your feet, there ARE jobs out there.


People leave.... regularly. It will only accelerate as the economy picks up. Getting a job almost anywhere else is preferable to here.

By the way, that includes the local boys AND expats.

[Oba1kanobe]

the nav charges were actually paid but that the authorities had lost the record of said payment. I have given up working out who to believe in situations like this.


Arik seems to have a lot of these "situations". I learned this evening that one of the hotels, "H", has begun charging the Arik tenants for food, since Arik hasn't paid the bill.

[Oyindo]

Vote with your feet, there ARE jobs out there.

Yep, but there will some poor sod, willing to take up that empty seat and sell their souls to fly for free (PTF). See what's happening in Europe.

Day 10 and the Bar Beach Rolex is still ticking

what you need to do is fly him through one of those massive CB's between Benin and PH. That should put the fear of God into him. I'm sure he'll sign all the cheque's b4 you land.

I will give it a go next time but I think it will take more than a line squall btw Osubi and PHC to shake AJ into submission (have you seen the size of the man). His explanation for paying Dec salary, mid Jan was that his staff would not work well during the festive period such a stupid excuses. I need to pay my son's school fees could be may's excuse?

Wonder if they finally caught up with the Driver that made away with a few million Naira in $. What a way to get salaries owed and a health cash advance.

[9jarep]

:p What goes around.......... few months back some chaps here gave some brotherly advise to VK guys to jump ship in the face of Salaries owed some of those guys were from Arik :rolleyes: LWKMD now see who is working on Credit!!!:D

[Gidigba]

This is not funny at all,and it must be stated as such,Its not fun going through TS's thinking of Pay,This is a gr8 blow to Flight Safety,Flying on an empty stomach is not only a crime against humanity but against your dear selves.God forbid an incident or otherwise,Pilots were flying and thinking of unpaid salaries and school fees of dependants,Think it over and draw the line,takes a lot of courage but safety is number 1,Only the living spend Money:(:sad::=

[The Maestro]

Tock tick, tick tock, tock tick.

Just read in the news that one airline alone owes one bank N170 billion. The numbers don't lie. That's over a trillion USD. Roughly $1.19 trillion USD. One company. In a country where more than 70% of the people live on less than a dollar a day. And it's got to be either one of two banks -- Zenith or Union Bank. You share my instinct? UB, I think. And SLS says the loan is already shaky and if it goes bad it will pull the bank down.

Damn. I knew something was just not kosher about the way AJ was bringin' em in like it was going out of fashion. A Ponzi scheme works beautifully in different applications. Even airplane acquisitions. Ask Bernie Madoff.

I hope W3 survives. The N500 billion intervention fund is meant to help not just manufacturers and power sector players, but also airlines. Isn't it curious that AJ is involved in the latter two, and stands to receive (borrow again) from IPP and airline platforms?

The ferocious courage of SLS is not in doubt. I think the mega-borrowers have met their match.
Tock, Tick. Tock Tick.


Correction: I meant $1.19 billion USD. Sorry. Wrote this around 2 am when suffering from a bout of insomnia. But you get the drift. 1.2 billion is big money in any currency (excluding Zimbabwean dollars).

[three eighty]

Arik, IRS Grounded, Resume Operation

Arik Air and IRS were yesterday grounded for hours before they later resumed operation owing to their inability to offset debts running into billion of naira.

The revenue Task Force Committee set (TSC) up by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) temporary grounded the operations of the airlines as they tried to recover their debts trapped with the airlines.

The debt is said to be in the region of N5 billion. The action disrupted the operation of the two airlines as they could not carry out their flights plans.

The CBN says it is bailing out the airlines.

Investigation by Daily Trust revealed that out of the amount, Arik was said to have owed N1.8 billion on the domestic routes while the airline owes $126,000 on the international route. Information obtained by the paper also indicated that about 17 other airlines are said to be indebted to the aviation agencies to the tune of N5 billion being an accumulated ticket sales charges the airlines collected from passengers in trust for the agencies which they failed to remit eventually.

The grounded airlines would have remained suspended if not for the intervention of the minister of aviation, Fidelia Njeze who waded into the matter on behalf of the airlines, Daily Trust learnt.

However, the taske force pardoned the airlines after given a written commitment on how to pay which was backed by the minister's intervention.

Further findings showed that Aero was said to be indebted to the agencies to the tune of N942 million and $477,000 as at April ending.

The self grounded Bellview owes the agencies N121 million on its international operations, N87 million on the local scene and $66.7 million on the hajj operations, Ethiopian airlines owes $181,000 while Medview owes $1.3 million on its hajj operations.

Virgin Nigeria now Air Nigeria is indebted to the tune of $67.9 million, Air Meridian owes $697, 000, TAP Airline (Portuguese) $3 million and N5.8 million through the airlift of Christian pilgrims, Chanchangi owes N325 million and $10,621 on the domestic and regional operations respectively while Overland Airways also owes $12 million.

Meanwhile, efforts to get reactions from IRS Airline proved abortive as no media relation officers was available while Arik spokesperson, Mr. Banji Ola confirmed that the airlines early morning operations was disrupted but that the issue has been resolved and the Arik air has resumed operations.

[thepounder]

NOt that I care, but 170Billion Naira is NOT 1 trillion USD. More like 1 billion USD.

[chuks]

A little slip there but the truth seems to be one really massive level of indebtedness on the part of the local airlines, when one has to ask how this has been allowed to happen!

Yes, it goes "million, billion, trillion" in American English with each increment one thousand times the preceding one. I just looked it up and found that, according to Wiki, the naira is around 170 to the US dollar so that 170 billion naira should be about $1,000,000,000.00. Wow! Given that there are no really huge Nigerian airlines, how does one accumulate such an enormous debt doing normal business? At a guess, you just pocket all the revenue, pay nothing back on any of your owings and then hope for the usual collapse/bailout/final collapse scenario that allows you to keep most of the money, not just the money you misappropriated in the first place but even more good money thrown after bad. You, like so many rascals before you, will have thoroughly screwed your workers, the Nigerian government and, not least, all those foreign entities you signed on the dotted line with yet suffer no consequences at all. No, you will be just another brave Nigerian entrepreneur who has fallen victim to the foreign-dominated world of aviation, especially given that you have occasionally "sprayed" your gullible local supporters with cheap naira while socking away those valuable dollars abroad.

I remember very well stories of the once-operator of the so-called "largest airline in Africa" doing that, sort of tossing naira out of his car to the rabble in the middle of his hometown while also owing enough dollars to some of his unpaid expats to cause a minor diplomatic incident! The gullible locals seemed to go for the naira without bothering to think about the dollars there, when we could only shake our heads. Here that bit of history seems to have repeated itself in multiples with even bigger sums being stolen, really.

"Business as usual," in other words, acting as if you were just standing there minding your own business when you were struck by lightning or perhaps you were a victim of the colonialists or racists or whatever or whomever. It should be interesting to dig through the back pages of all those who roundly denounced anyone casting doubt upon the Arik business model, just for one, once this debacle has played itself out in the not-too-distant future. Not that that will make anyone exactly happy or even cause much to change in the way Nigeria sets up and runs its aviation sector!

[atedo]

Virgin Nigeria now Air Nigeria is indebted to the tune of $67.9 million, Air Meridian owes $697, 000, TAP Airline (Portuguese) $3 million and N5.8 million through the airlift of Christian pilgrims, Chanchangi owes N325 million and $10,621 on the domestic and regional operations respectively while Overland Airways also owes $12 million.


Chachangi regional abi is it exit clearance for maintenance? These figures looks bad if they are real!
I still recall Demuren saying W3 were paying their bills, so why is TFC going after W3? :=:confused:

[Mr. Smith]

Maestro,

I know this site is a rumor network, but damn, did you honestly believe for one second that Arik owes over $1trillion dollars to anybody or collection of anybody's? :=

[Mr. Smith]

@chuks,

You've listed some reasons why it's hard for you to believe Arik can rack up $1B in debt, you should remain skeptical and not completely buy into the story. Quite frankly, I think FAAN and other agencies have incorrect figures, and perhaps inflated the numbers in their attempt in "shaming" airlines into paying their debt. That's me though.

[Oba1kanobe]

The chief pilot asked the chairman this morning why he hadn't paid the pilots. Answer: He's too busy to pay them.

He then jumped in his GlobalX, and popped over to Benin for a relaxing weekend.

Still no pay, and there won't be this weekend, or maybe next.

DON'T WORK WITHOUT PAY !!!!:=

[Oyindo]

Answer: He's too busy to pay them.

Olódùmarè may Sàngó strike sense in to this insensitive man Haba!!!!

Shame on him, sl@ve driver :{

[Gidigba]

This so called counterfeit mr Johnson is just taking you guys on a ride,look him in da face and say no,can he force all of you to fly with no pay?Chang and the gang have'nt been been paid since Jan,is that how you wanna be in 2 months?**** happens and you can only allow yourself to be scewed if you're enjoying it,so stop whining and take the **** you deserve or resist it,You should be happy he is giving you da opportunity to fly tear rubber chacha planes,that should fill da stomach and pay your bills,at least,thats what the degenerate illeterate believes,hes doing you a big lifetime favour,This crap started from inception when pilots were selling themselves cheap,in search of positions and favours,you turned the man into what he is,so please live with it.**** always comes back in your face.Be careful what you sow........Still not Funny,Eish:(:E:ooh::suspect::rolleyes:

[DragRequired]

I reckon that if we are not paid by Monday evening....NO flights on Tuesday 15th June 2010 that is exactly the half way point of the month and two weeks overdue salary. Who is with me ? Let your other fellow pilots know !!! No pay by Monday evening we will not fly from Tuesday 6.00 A.M. You all know the food at the hotel can cause quite bad tummy bugs......:cool:

[The Maestro]

thepounder and Mr. Smith.

Yeah, you're both right. My goof. Not intentional, and not fuzzy math either. I meant to write $1.19 billion USD and wrote trillion! Obviously that is even more money than the national debt and cannot be owed by one individual or company. Thanks for spotting the error. Math wasn't always my favorite subject.

Chuks, Thanks for coming to the rescue. Like you say it will be interesting to see how this debacle plays out. I hope the hundreds of employees and their dependents do not suffer. Fair work demands fair wages.

Tick, Tock. Tock Tock, Tick. Damn, this watch was built on a Friday from Absurdistan. Or is it Krygyrstan -- can't even spell the damn thing.

[TonyWilliams]

not paid by Monday evening....NO flights on Tuesday 15th June 2010 that is exactly the half way point of the month and two weeks overdue salary. Who is with me ?


Why wait until then? Why aren't you calling in sick now?

You really have to decide to not work for your own. Lots will talk about it, and even promise to not work. Very, VERY, few will follow through.

Also, the local pilots have been paid, so I doubt that even fewer of them would join you anyway.

I personally will not work now until paid, and will not work in the future past the 1st until paid.

[oldtimersdisease]

If you want to name and shame, here's a website I saw a few days back (though it doesn't seem to have many names on it (fear or large numbers of good employers?) Bad Oga (http://www.badoga.com/index1.html)

[Gidigba]

Don't be a reluctant shareholder - It is common for Nigerian companies of any size to withold payments of staff salaries for several months. As long as the masses put up with it, the practice will continue. If you are owed a substantial sum for any lenth of time then you are a part of the Company's financial structure. As an unwilling shareholder they should be paying you dividends! Not diverting huge sums to foreign bank accounts!VERY REVEALING;EISH:sad::suspect::EAJ dupees take note

[westafricanair]

Good luck in trying to get the money out of AJ!

If / when you do - make sure you are paid in advance up to the end of whatever month you are in as a gesture from AJ for being a **** and paying late for months.

From my past experience with NG companies the only way to get what you are owed is to mess up their international operations. By that, I mean find a way that you can chase the money through legal channels in the UK, USA etc. As soon as there is a threat to a NG company's overseas 'hard currency' bank accounts they tend to pay up.

Always, have a plan B exit strategy lined up though, just in case plan A doesn't work e.g. a flexible ticket booked on VK to ACC and an offer in the pipeline from another carrier.

Nice shiny A330-200 though, makes you feel sick doesn't it when he can't even bother to pay his staff?

No wonder Messrs Holt, Roijen & Dudley got out of W3 as fast as they could - what could they see coming soon?:eek:

[badoga_dee]

I note your reference to the Bad Oga (http://www.badoga.com)site and as one of the moderators I can tell you that the list of 'one' looks set to grow very soon. Actually, the site is very new, recently revamped from a humble start by David Winter who started the ball rolling and who stuck to his guns and got a (final) payment of wages nearly a year late. David's story would make interesting reading (I keep urging him to write a biography!).

The list should have 12 companies on it from our correspondence so far, but the avoidance of defamation charges is key to our reluctance to publish. It has to be done correctly with supporting evidence. David is most unusual in that he has the most complete and comprehensive bank of correspondence about his dispute that I have ever seen. Also his 'fear' factor is very low. Brave? foolish? he has equal measures of both traits!

In fact, that's what I really wanted to comment on in this post. That 'fear' is a what is keeping people from coming forward, there is no doubt. Certainly for people working in Nigeria. Natives and expatriates alike. Acts of retribution are always possible, even likely, when shaking a cage there, but a hundred times greater if you are in country.

The badoga site has a clever way of exposing Bad Ogas, allowing the namer/shamer to stay anonymous. I don't know if it is appropriate to explain why in this forum, but for any potential users of the site, I could make a further post to explain, please ask. But in the meantime, feel free to visit badoga (http://www.badoga.com) and leave a message with email contact address.

[thepounder]

So, did you whiners get paid yet?

[exeng]

So, did you whiners get paid yet?

Yes we did.


Regards
Exeng

[LGW Vulture]

See, Mr. J is not as bad as you all make out! He can now fly his XRS without a single shred of guilt! :E

[Mr. Smith]

I'd "whine" too if I didn't get paid.

It would have been nice though if the OP also posted when they finally got paid instead of only when they hadn't been paid. :p

[Oba1kanobe]

It would have been nice though if the OP also posted when they finally got paid instead of only when they hadn't been paid.


Why would that matter. We were paid late. The same as the month before, and the month before that, and so on.

I did get paid for May, halfway into the month of June.

So, I'll start a new thread on what is surely to be a repeat. This time, I believe, the pilots might have had enough.

[Oba1kanobe]

The pilots mostly (there are pilots with their pay being "held" for various nefarious reasons) were paid for May, mid way into June.

What day will pay be received for June? Will pilots sickout before that day?

[captplaystation]

Without some unity you only make yourself a target.

Easier to find unity and honour in a whorehouse, := only put your head above the parapet if you KNOW 100% that the majority will join you, OR you have another job to go to.

A word to the wise :hmm:

[NaijaNinja]

Word from the grapevine is that Arik might change ownership!

Interested buyer is the Federal Government of Nigeria, yes, Arik might be nationalised!

In my own opinion, it seemed a matter of time before such a thing happened, judging by the strict belief of the rumour mill that the funds for Arik came from a certain oil rich state in Nigeria.

My question is that shouldn't it be a certain State Government chasing the ownership, why FGN? Possible answer to this question is linked to the recent announcement of a ₦500bn injection into the aviation sector.

Enough said!

[Oba1kanobe]

Interested buyer is the Federal Government of Nigeria, yes, Arik might be nationalised!


A little rename to Nigerian Airways, and all should be well. Then nationalize Air Nigeria (giving its owner a handsome short term profit), combine the two, and call it a day.

[NaijaNinja]

You seem to be in the know. What you've described is what i deliberately left out in my post. Its part of the grand plan with the half-a-billion cash injection recently announced. Maybe you might want to spill more than i do.

Heard the news about the A330 fine which broke within the last 72hrs?

Interesting drama in this captivating Arik-enders.

[Mr. Smith]

I hope the rumors regarding Air Nigeria & Arik are not true. Nigeria Airways was a mess when govt. owned, I see no change should govt. get into majority ownership of another airline. It will basically turn into personal transportation for the who's who in politics.

I hope the sins of Nigeria Airways past doesn't come back to haunt anyone again. :eek:

[Oba1kanobe]

Air Nigeria has the IATA / IOSA approvals that Arik may never get (now almost 4 years as an airline).

Arik is a management DISASTER. The singular thing that this father / son team is good at is spending other people's money on shiny new airplanes.

Would this combined, government run entity, be better than what is currently available? Probably not, but as long as there's oil to back up the Nigerian government, there will be money to subsidize a national airline... until it is completely mismanaged into insolvency.

Sorry that my synopsis doesn't have a happy ending.

[Oyindo]

When the government was running things at whiskey tango there was a change a Managing Director/CEO at least once year. It was nepotism and pilfering was at it’s very best.

Keep them out of things, they can’t even run a country properly, what hope does an airline have!

[Oba1kanobe]

When the government was running things at whiskey tango there was a change a Managing Director/CEO at least once year. It was nepotism and pilfering was at it’s very best.

Keep them out of things, they can’t even run a country properly, what hope does an airline have!


Oh yes, there will be gross nepotism !!!! But, what is the record for Arik on MD's? Two in less than one year, and currently no MD. Some standard.

[DragRequired]

Heard the news about the A330 fine which broke within the last 72hrs?

N25, 000 000 fine to Arik for Dr. Capt. Randy flying his shiny new A330 without a valid license.....heard his nickname is now "Zebra" on account of all the stripes he now has.:E

[Gander707]

l believe this thread is about payday at Arik air. It may not be appropriate to discuss the individual involved in the A33O issue. Also just for clarification,the 500b naira bailout funds is not meant to be given to the airlines directly. The indebted airlines are being encouraged to restructure their debts at a favourable 7% interest rate instead of the prevailing rates of btw 17-20%. The govt pays the difference directly to the banks. The airlines benefit by having reduced interest payments ,freeing capital for other things e.g salaries.The banks benefit by having huge injection of capital into the system stabilizing some banks who are strained as a result of over exposure to indebted airlines. The rest of the economy benefit by the banks ability to resume lending.

[Klogic]

The indebted airlines are being encouraged to restructure their debts at a favourable 7% interest rate instead of the prevailing rates of btw 17-20%. The govt pays the difference directly to the banks. The airlines benefit by having reduced interest payments ,freeing capital for other things e.g salaries.The banks benefit by having huge injection of capital into the system stabilizing some banks who are strained as a result of over exposure to indebted airlines


Gander707 you are very correct, infact only a certain percentage of the 500billion is available to the airlines, and as you rightly wrote,the money is meant to restructure existing debts.They are not getting any money except a leeway..

[Oba1kanobe]

Once again, it's payday at Arik Air. I better hurry up and check my account !!!

[LGW Vulture]

The silence suggests that everything turned out OK this month .......?

[jamestaylor]

A Few questions if I may...

1) Is this pay issue for expats only?
2) Who is running airline/COO/DFO are they all in out etc?
3) Is father or son in charge?
4) What happened to J. Holt?
5) How is life style in Lagos - safe enough to bring familY?
6) Who does the maintenance in house ?

Thanks,

Lastly did you get paid this month yet?

[SouBE]

Having packed in a decent job as SCCM with a well respected and stable UK regional operator, I foolishly decided to join Arik at the start of April to be trained up as cabin crew on their A330 operation. Now, I don't regret many things I have done in my 40 years, but this was one of them!

The 'initial conversion' course was a joke; 7 days which you could actually have done in 2. And once the 'course' was over, we were told we had to go to LOS for the NCAA exam so we waited....and waited.....and waited. Emails and phone calls to ask what was happening went unanswered. But still we waited. Then, a phone call. Allelujah! But no. It was a call telling us the company had decided to go for one A330 not two and unless we accepted a change to our contracts to spend up to 20 nights away from home, we MAY loose our jobs. So, I accept the change. And then I wait....and wait some more.

THEN, a contract arrives 8 weeks after starting with the company. Great! We're getting somewhere! So then we wait.....Until we get another phone call.....telling me I'm redundant. Oh, I forgot to mention that our May paycheck arrived 5 days late!

I have worked in the big bad world for over 20 years since leaving education and without doubt Arik is the biggest shower of SH*T I have ever worked for. They lye, they fail to communicate....and before you all rush to tell me that's how Nigeria works, I'm talking about the UK operation!

I still have friends that are working for them and believe you me, I do feel sorry for them. Fortunately I have now got another job, outside of aviation. If any of you are considering Arik then let me give you my advice.....

DON'T DO IT! Sweep the streets, work on a check out at your local supermarket, work behind a bar - anything but waste your time with this bunch. They stink!

[Oyindo]

SouBe

Sorry you went through all that and hope others take heed. Wishing you the very best.

[exeng]

As Oyindo, I'm also very sorry you had that awful experience.

The fact is that no senior non flying local management at Arik have any respect whatsoever for any employee be they flight crew, cabin crew or sweeper of the hangar floor. It is the local culture here that sadly prevails and is evident in all employment. The same is true as I see it of the local employees here in the hotels - the boss is king and he/she cares nothing for the welfare of his/her employees.

I'm very sorry that you gave up employment with I assume Flybe - perhaps there is a chance that they may take you back? I flew a contract with AEU for Flybe on the 737 based at Exeter and Brum - very friendly and professional Cabin Crew.

I wish you all the best for the future.


Kind regards
Exeng

[noneatall]

sorry to hear about that. out of interest how many crew were made redundant, and why were you chosen? have many crew took the contract to work in Nigeria? if so are they all still there or did they leave?

there were a few crew who left BMI also, weren't there? do you know if they were made redundant? how much redundancy pay did you get?

thanks

[seper]

JAMES TAYLOR

1) Is this pay issue for expats only? not really,locals affected
2) Who is running airline/COO/DFO are they all in out etc? H.E AJ rules
3) Is father or son in charge? Both
4) What happened to J. Holt? Bolted away
5) How is life style in Lagos - safe enough to bring familY? Hmm depends on who's asking
6) Who does the maintenance in house ? LUFTHANSA TECHNIC

Thanks,

Lastly did you get paid this month yet?Referring to june? its on its way!!

[Vortex Thing]

Pay Plus
A Few questions if I may...
1) Is this pay issue for expats only?
No but expats are the most likely to suffer as we are considered the most disposable by CP. (I would say mgt as a whole but there isn't any)

2) Who is running airline/COO/DFO are they all in out etc?
CP/Vacant position/vacant position i.e CP is judge, jury and executioner. He is doing a sterling job and about as popular as the EFCC at an Arik Air Board meeting.

3) Is father or son in charge?
Nobody really knows as we never get told anything from above, unless something has gone wrong, then we get told why it is our fault because we are idol/greedy/lazy/expats or a combination of all of these.

4) What happened to J. Holt?
Bolted is unfair, he took his vast skill set and experience to somewhere where they actually cared about his ability to do his job. It is around this point that the light at the end of the tunnel turned out to be some b**tard holding a torch

5) How is life style in Lagos - safe enough to bring familY?

If you genuinely want a quickie divorce, hate your wife/family and or have been exiled from the rest of the world for crimes that make Osama BL and Satan jealous and therefore have no possibility of ever getting a job in literally any other country ever then by all means I shall tell you where the slightly smaller rats, roaches and mossies live so you can set up home in Lagos.

If you come here, take a look and then decide to move your family to this place then you should not have a Class 1 medical as you cannot be entirely sane.

6) Who does the maintenance in house ?
Lufthansa Technik on jets SAMCO on Q400s

Thanks,
Lastly did you get paid this month yet?
it's only the 1st (i.e 3 days late) we normally do not even look until the 5th or so as we can only take so much disappointment.

If you are considering coming here PM a few Arik pilots, as unless you are unemployed then this is not the way forward for any pilot much less an expat right now.

With the NCAA change in hours required from Expat pilots. If you have the hours to come here you have the hours to go to Turkish.

If you drive 737s right now PM me I'll swap with you.:ugh:

VT

[NaijaNinja]

Arik 5N-DON, Lagos Tower!

Confirm Ops Normal & pay late?

[DragRequired]

So what are we gonna do about it this Sh*t cant continue to go on. :confused:

[Don K]

OPS Normal... no pay...

[jamestaylor]

Still no pay today???

[Evanelpus]

At the risk of getting royally shot down I have to ask the following question.

Why in Gods name would any sane expat person leave a well paid secure job to join ARIK (or, for that matter, any airline in Nigeria, or for that matter any Nigerian company)?

Has the world gone mad or has no-one told these people what goes on in Nigeria. To my mind, they are one step away from "you got what you deserved".

Sorry if this sounds harsh but unless Nigerian companies have changed dramatically over the last 10 years, this isn't something that should have taken them completely by surprise.

[Capetonian]

At the risk of getting royally shot down I have to make the following observation ....

I was asked to do some consultancy work in Nigeria, for a Nigerian company. I replied to the intermediary concerned saying simply that I was not interested in going to Nigeria nor in working for a Nigerian company and would they please not waste their time or mine offering me any further work in Nigeria.

Whether intentionally or not I don't know, but they forwarded my reply to the Nigerian prinicipal who emailed me stating that I was now 'person non gratia (sic) with them due to my rascism (sic)'. I have lost no sleep over this but had many a good chuckle over it.

[Mr. Smith]

Arik's woes speaks to all Nigerian company's? :confused:

[Vortex Thing]

At the risk of getting royally shot down I have to ask the following question.

Why in Gods name would any sane expat person leave a well paid secure job to join ARIK (or, for that matter, any airline in Nigeria, or for that matter any Nigerian company)?

Your comments above and my biy highlighted give you your answer. Most of us came here from bankrupt airlines. Sterling, Futura and XL to name a few if the choice is a crap job and no job your spouse does not thank you for your principles when it comes to the rent/mortgage/bills being paid and the children fed.

It is real simple do or die stuff, very very few people are here by choice and we leave the moment we can get something else that pays. You PM me a job and I will start tomorrow, anywhere else in the world. I think I speak for many of my colleagues.

VT:ugh:

[DragRequired]

@Capetonian

Thats what they like to do over here...email everyone on the email list. Hopefully it would attract the attention of the correct person concerned. CC everyone...lol:rolleyes:

[Evanelpus]

It is real simple do or die stuff, very very few people are here by choice and we leave the moment we can get something else that pays.

The problem is that it isn't paying and that was my point.

I do sympathise with the situation at ARIK but some of the posts on this thread have read as though it came as a big shock that you guys weren't getting paid. And SouBE did leave a good job to go to ARIK.

The moral of this surely must be don't work for a Nigerian Company:ugh::ugh:

[BLUEJuice]

I cannot fault you guys (sterling/futura/xl etc.) for taking work where you can even in the third world. I would even argue that you gents have been fortunate in this environment to have work... however with work should come adequate pay albeit "on time" as well? Hopefully the majority of you guys have left yourselves in positions where you have gained quality time and have made some savings with regards to whatever you have been paid? I would imagine the per diem and naira 10 percentage, and housing being provided has afforded you the ability to sock away some pay into savings/bills.

[Vortex Thing]

Bluejuice please tell me that this is your idea of a joke.

For you to have the knowledge of our pay breakdown suggests that you may be more than a Probationary first time poster! Grow a pair and use your usual handle so that we know who you are rather than snipe incendiary rounds into a heated matter which lets be honest is about the abuse of aviators and crews.:=

Evanelplus

I think all of us here are more than aware of the fact that there are pay issues. We need to come back to the fact that it pays better than unemployment.

The moral of this surely must be don't work for a Nigerian Company
We are not Nigerian and not in need of moral guidance thank you. We know that Nigeria is home of the 419, etc, etc but facts are facts even if they make us wear grass skirts and beat us at the end of the day IT IS STILL BETTER THAN UNEMPLOYMENT.

Back to the shock bit, sorry did it come as a big shock that we were not going to get paid on time or at all in many cases, errrm yes, the contract from Arik in London quite clearly said something to the effect of, we get in the plane fly it somewhere and bring it back for 30 days and they put money in our bank.........

Now the contract also has lots of other stuff about transport and accommodation etc, etc we deep down knew that they were never going to give us even half of what was promised, that was a disappointment but not a shock. Now getting paid late by a few days here and there again not really a shocker, annoying but no shock.

Not getting paid at all, having colleagues sacked or suspended on the whim of an incompetent and egotistical Chief Pilot for looking at him in a funny way, wearing a loud shirt in a built up area or having an offensive wife are not at all something that most of us foresaw.

To be honest, I consider myself an educated man and though I am not an expert on the travelling habits of one Private William T Santiago I do know that I expect even Nigerians to pay me for work that I have done.

Seeing however as you can see so clearly into the future perhaps you can tell me where the best place to go from here is please?

VT:*

[NaijaNinja]

5N-DON, Lagos Tower!

Confirm you can competently deflate a tyre-a-day per aircraft for the next 30 days.

If so, you are cleared for an immediate deflation of one-tyre-per-aircraft-per-day. Expedite!

Report 'Orbit' completed.

[Evanelpus]

To be honest, I consider myself an educated man and though I am not an expert on the travelling habits of one Private William T Santiago I do know that I expect even Nigerians to pay me for work that I have done.

Seeing however as you can see so clearly into the future perhaps you can tell me where the best place to go from here is please?

Vortex

Obiviously my post has rankled you, it wasn't meant to. I genuinely feel sorry for everyone at ARIK for the situation. I can speak from personal experiences about dealings with Nigerian aviation culture and sadly, they are all bad. I personally would steer well clear of anything Nigerian, that goes from airlines right to the government who are the worst of the lot.

I think your statement about expecting even Nigerians to pay you for work done is at best, hopeful and at worst, naive. Get the hell out of there, do anything, even the dole is better than getting nothing.

I do hope you all get what is owed to you, I really do.

[three eighty]

You are in an unenviable situation that is not going to get any better. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that your position there will only get worse. As the previous poster said, get out and get out now. The owner of Arik is taking the piss and you are letting him shake it all over you.
You guys are paid late or not at all. Lets face it, for putting up with living there, you should be paid in ADVANCE.
Arik has a history for late salary and every day that you stay there is another day worked for free. Cut your losses, keep your sanity and get yourself and all your expact friends working for them and get your asses out of there. You might as well be penniless back home than in Lagos.
Your outstanding salary is gone, gone, gone. Deal with it and quit with your dignity. Don't broadcast your intentions, just climb on a flight and go home. If you try play hardball in Nigeria, you will come off second best.

The overwhelmimg majority of adviced given, is for you and your mates to get out and leave those clowns to their own devices. You are having sleepless nights, do you think the owners are?
If you stay it will end in tears and you will only have yourself to blame.
Most advice given is well intended and is from guys who have experienced the way things work in and around the continent.
We sympathise with you now but if in a few months you are still there complaining about the same then we are going to be laughing at you.

Death, taxes and getting screwed in Nigeria.....the 3 certainties in life.

The ball is in your court...

[chuks]

These guys really do "give a dog a bad name" by making deals and not sticking to them, much like many other Nigerians in aviation. Have a look in "Rotorheads" here for so-called Caverscam and their antics, Stillwater as was, Barnax, and so on and on. You go to Nigeria, then you play by local rules and get shafted the same way locals do. Maybe you get lucky and get paid, maybe not but a contract with a local operator in the context of Nigeria is largely meaningless. So long as you understand that you should be okay. If you think it's like the USA or Europe, where you haul someone up before an arbritration board, think again!

You really can end up in jail, as the Barnax ex-pats found out to their considerable surprise, even after I had dropped some heavy hints. I met these Barnax guys, all ex-Eastern Airlines, working like beavers on what they took for a serious start-up regional airline, up there on the first floor of a low-rise building in Port Harcourt, its forecourt all crammed with generators and pumps and such.

After observing the level of work they were putting in there I asked them what the deal would be if they didn't get paid on time, when they very stoutly told me that they would down tools forthwith, one even saying, "What are they going to do, lock us up?"

"Err, guys, that is an option here in Nigeria, you know..." Then they just looked at me. That is to say from their US point of view, Mr "Barnax" had signed with ILFC (I think it was) for 2 (two) Boeing 737-200 aircraft, promising to pay some considerable sum of money every month to this well-known leasing firm and had also signed contracts with these professional airmen for their services so that as far as they were concerned this Nigerian would find himself in a whole lot of trouble if he didn't hold up his end of the deal.

Well, there was a whole lot of trouble but mainly for the leasing company, when it took forever to get their damned airplanes back. Barnax got an injunction from some tame local judge that meant the planes were sat there rotting on the ramp for years and the pilots did, indeed, down tools but were then surprised to be put in jail. Only for a little while, after which they went back to the States but I doubt they ever saw any of that money that was promised them.

Did "Barnax" get into any serious trouble over that? Will Arik over what is happening now? Does a chicken have lips?

[Oba1kanobe]

Dr Micheal promised pay to be dispensed on the 7th, to be in our accounts on the 8th (not mentioning that both dates are over a week late).

He lied.

No money.

[NaijaNinja]

Oba1, confirm locals haven't been paid either.

[Evanelpus]

Dr Micheal promised pay to be dispensed on the 7th, to be in our accounts on the 8th (not mentioning that both dates are over a week late).

He lied.

No money.

Ahh, but which month?

[Gidigba]

Fact is no Bread YET.We need da 500hrs on type before scramming,things are looking up in da East and Turkish,check da websites guys,He's gonna eat his planes soon,or trade them IN,dats actually da truth anyways,They need da money for the upcoming Elections>>>>da real owners:{:{:{

[DragRequired]

Thats what I heard...five 737's are going.....!!!! A,B,J,K,I....lets see if it is really going to happen. Eyes and ears peeled !!!:uhoh:

[DragRequired]

Thats what I heard...five 737's are going.....!!!! A,B,J,K,I....lets see if it is really going to happen. Eyes and ears peeled !!!:uhoh:....stupid Nigerian Internet....!!!!

[Oyindo]

The bottoms falling out..............:uhoh:

[westafricanair]

For Sale...5 Old 737 !!!
Thats what I heard...five 737's are going.....!!!! A,B,J,K,I....lets see if it is really going to happen. Eyes and ears peeled !!!http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/worry.gif....stupid Nigerian Internet....!!!!
http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/statusicon/user_offline.gif http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/buttons/report.gif (http://www.pprune.org/report.php?p=5804058)


Is this true? Is this where Jimoh Ibrahim is getting his 5 a/c from for VK?

Any confirmation as to if it is true about W3 selling and any update on the VK arrivals - they must be due soon if they want a flet of 10 a/ c by October...

[DragRequired]

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, on Tuesday, quizzed the Chairman of Arik Airline, Chief Joseph Arumeni-Ikhide, for several hours over alleged tax evasion.
A cumulative N10bn is involved in the alleged offence. Our correspondent gathered that Arumeni-Ikhide’s interrogation went late into the night before he was released on administrative bail at about 8pm.

A top official of the EFCC told our correspondent that the chairman was initially being investigated over alleged evasion of N5bn tax due to be paid by the airline.

But the commission was said to have stumbled on another N5bn evasion of Ticket Service Charges by Arik in the course of investigating alleged financial scandal in the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority.

The EFCC had summoned the Arik chairman in continuation of its investigation into the rot in the air transport sector of the economy, particularly to determine the airlines that had been evading tax.

The commission had on September 29, 2009 raided the Lagos office of the airline for about five hours in search of documents to establish the allegations. :{




Arik Air chairman arrested for evading N10b tax (http://www.transparencyng.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1470:arik-air-chairman-arrested-for-evading-n10b-tax&catid=86:crime&Itemid=151)

[DragRequired]

@ westafricanair........

If I could answer that...this place would be called PPTrune......not PPRune...lol But I dont think they are going to VK, but I could be wrong.:cool:

[onefatpilot]

Apparently the 737s are going to be replaced with a320s. Airbus has agreed to help with the sale of the old aircraft.:cool:

[Mr. Smith]

It's interesting to see that Arik allegedly owes N5b in taxes.My question would be how much money is the company making to owe such an amount or perhaps does that figure include fees, fines etc? :confused:

Secondly with regards to the replacement of 737 with A320 I think this would be a big blow to Boeing as it was almost guaranteed that Arik would be a Boeing airline.What does this mean to their fleet management/expansion strategy?

[Mr. Smith]

It's interesting to see that Arik allegedly owes N5b in taxes.My question would be how much money is the company making to owe such an amount or perhaps does that figure include fees, fines etc? :confused:

Secondly with regards to the replacement of 737 with A320 I think this would be a big blow to Boeing as it was almost guaranteed that Arik would be a Boeing airline.What does this mean to their fleet management/expansion strategy?

[5N-OSA]

How does this fit into the whole picture.
Arik Air gets certificate to operate direct flight to US - latest news, breaking news, business, finance analysis, comments and views from Nigeria :: Businessday (http://www.businessdayonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12668:arik-air-gets-certificate-to-operate-direct-flight-to-us-&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=18)

So if I understand this Arik wants to
Open a flight school
Go direct to the US with a US AOC and 5N a/c
Add Paris, Dubai etc
Fleet change to Airbus
and still not pay staff on time
lets see Oga AJ work his magic..

[Circle]

Does anything make sense at Arik Air.Lets see how this one will turn on its head.............looks like other factors are very much at play here.
Airbus have finally broken into Nigerian aviation, as regards aircraft sales. Nation Air, coming out of the ashes of Bellview, are talking to Airbus about A320s.......:rolleyes:
With all this taxes not paid:confused:

[chuks]

Nigeria Airways was a very loyal customer of Boeing... until they swapped their 737s for A310s, and we all saw how that worked out!

Arik got a lot of free publicity over their massive order for new Boeings yet now they are switching horses in mid-stream to Airbus. Yes, and did you suppose they really would have taken delivery of all those new Boeings they had ordered?

I am a racist bigot of course, so that all of this looks like mismanagement verging on fraud to me. You would have hoped to see this company pay all its workers first and not last, laying a solid foundation for its operations. Instead here we have rumours of only one set of crew being paid on time and everyone else being forced to wait to see when the pay finally appears; a rather clear sign of a shaky operation. Yet there is far bigger money in there somewhere for new aircraft? Oh, really?

I am not an expert on this but there must be someone here who can tell us all about the mysteries of buying new Boeings or Airbuses and how you can get your piccy in the trade press, big smiles and handshakes all around, yet have no real money changing hands, just rather meaningless signatures (or in the case of some of these ogas, probably just a scrawled "X" with two witness signatures attesting to just which illiterate that was) on a piece of paper with no real expectation of a deal being done, just a vague hope that this dream will some day become a reality.

Just look back at the boasts in "Arikmetic" here and please tell me that those numbers are still valid. They might be; I don't know. You local guys, tell us what you know!

[9jarep]

Flying to New York would be intersting on the Long run :D as some smart American Lawyer:8 who knows the staff problems would be waiting to take ARIK to court on a variety of charges that you would need a Dictionary a Law Book and another Lawyer to understand:ugh:...try some Human right group with Placards around JFK calling ARIK a slave driver:ouch:

[Gidigba]

This is just bloody crazy to me,All this hogwash about aircraft orders ,flying schools et all,How do tested professionals continue to wear uniforms with pride and call for start everyday without Pay?Safety issue apart,The only language this SOB Chairman would understand will be a strongbow from all concerned.Methinks we deserve whatever comes our way becos we got da Right to choose getting paid or working in arrears for a oaf who acts like he owns da Airline when we collectively know He's just a Foreman.Wakey wakey.Say NO to been taken for Granted in any manner...........:{:rolleyes::mad:

[Evanelpus]

Airbus have finally broken into Nigerian aviation, as regards aircraft sales.

Anyone want to hazard a guess as to how much 'dash' exchanged hands?

[chuks]

10 percent is traditional. Have a look around the local landscape to see how many "ten-percenters" there are, particularly in Lagos and Abuja, shadowy figures with lots of bling and a shiny Tokunbo with clear plazzie covers on its grubby seats but nothing much going for them but their connections.

Boeing is a bit handicapped by US SEC rules about bribery, sorry, commissions. This should apply to all companies traded on the US stock exchange and it can really put the mockers on Boeing and Bell competing with Airbus and Eurocopter, unhampered as they are by such rules.

You may occasionally be puzzled to read that Twangoland International Airlines has just torn up a contract for Boeings to go for (more expensive) Airbuses, when you can only scratch your head and wonder if it is so that the Twangonians are stupid people who cannot do their sums, or that the Airbus is so much better that it sells for a premium, or did someone just collect a very handsome commission, what we crudely call, yes, dash?

Sometimes there can be a great falling-out among thieves, when we get to hear what has gone on, after someone doesn't get his share of the booty. For now we can only watch and wonder.

By the way: Scratch that "finally." Airbus broke into the Nigerian market years ago with the sale of four A310s to Nigeria Airways. Get someone who knows the local airline scene to tell you how that one ended!

[Mr. Smith]

@chuks: If you truly think boeing is 'handicapped' because they don't 'dash' money to Nigerian businesses or govt. officials as you claim Airbus does you are sorely mistaken. Afterall, this is the same Boeing whose first bid for the US Airforce tanker replacement program was nullified and had a couple of it's top executives jailed for bribery/corruption. :rolleyes:

If they can do this in their own country where said laws are more stricly enforced, do you truly believe they don't do the same in Nigeria where these laws are much more easily circumvented? You might need to open your eyes. :eek::sad:

[chuks]

Can you enlighten me then? Do you know something specific or are you just making an informed guess about what Boeing get up to? Same as I was doing re: Airbus, I guess...

Thanks for the tip about keeping my eyes open. I love getting advice in that way and if we ever meet, as a special treat I may let you carry my flight bag. So, something to look forward to! Mwah!

[exeng]

Still not been paid despite assurances that the cash would 'start flowing' on the 7th. I do like the word 'flowing' as used by the 'Doctor'.

As I understand it the cash is either in my acount or it isn't - I've never seen it 'flow' dollar by dollar.

Rang head office in London today and spoke to a lady who says she hasn't been paid either. Much commiserations between us etc etc and the lady stated that she fully expects us all to be paid by the end of the working week - she did add however that she wasn't 100% sure and so please don't hold her responsible if there is no money in the bank.

A friend of mine still down in Lagos (I'm on leave) has told me that he has been suspended for a week (suspended without pay!) because he is refusing to fly until he has been paid. (you can't make this sort of thing up) I'll not be flying on my return unless the pay is in the bank on the 5th and I hope others follow suit.

The folks I really feely sorry for are the local Nigeria ground staff - appallingly low pay and they have to wait as well - the poor buggers have nothing to fall back on.

Still we can all look on Johnsons brand new global express and thank the fellow who drove a vehicle into the radome.


Kind regards
Exeng

[Vortex Thing]

Exeng don't go back I've found us all better and more reliably paying jobs at McDonald's :ugh:

[Oba1kanobe]

he has been suspended for a week (suspended without pay!) because he is refusing to fly until he has been paid.


That is absolutely a perfect performance!!! Bravo.

Again, the chief pilot has promised pay on the 14th, but no surprise, no money.

Pilots continue to quit.

[chuks]

I understand that the primary concern must be, "Hey! Where is my pay?" but an obvious secondary one must then be, "So, why haven't these guys been paid on time?" That is where this stuff about the ins and outs of buying shiny new Airbuses when wages haven't been paid comes from; it isn't totally unrelated although it is secondary.

Arik seemed dubious right from its beginnings, since it seemed to have been set up using stolen government money, a sort of follow-on to some of the funny business that had been going on there in Rivers State. We used to look at that Embraer flying around (doing what, exactly?) on behalf of one of the less well-managed Nigerian states, wondering what in the world was going on there.

When Arik started many were jubilant, this sort of "You see now! Ah-ah! We ah building a wahld-class ailine heah fo' Naijariah!" This is stuff that you really would expect to hear from your tea-boy, not from serious professionals. Never mind, off they went with totally uncritical press releases about this mass order of new Boeings, service to all four corners of the know universe and all the rest of the usual palaver with just a few grumpy old souls trying to tell everyone it was a scam.

Now we have got to the point where there is a chorus of moans about unpaid wages, when that must be just about the most basic thing that any serious employer has to take care of and never mind service to New York with Boeing 787s or whatever.

So to you guys going unpaid, of course that is the main thing and I cannot argue with that at all. That said, though, I think it is worth bringing up what may possibly have led to you going unpaid, a contention that Arik simply is not a serious attempt at having a properly-run major airline but just another scam perpetrated by known, obvious scammers.

Do not take my word for this, simply guessing at most of the truth as I am. Google "Arik" to read numerous stories about what is going on, not least how the Nigerian fraud squad has been on the case of some of the people behind it, when we can simply say, "Where there is smoke there must be fire."

I would hope that many or most of you have got some valuable experience flying for Arik that will let you go out and get better jobs, ones that at least see you paid for your work, once things take an upturn, as they are sure to do. It isn't that we are trying to divert attention from this primary issue, just that some of us want to look at the background that has led to this sorry pass.

[Vortex Thing]

Still no money another 3 pilots left now! Those who are not near a lifeboat may want to make their way towards a nearby exit.

Does anyone out there actually think that we are in a recoverable situation any more. By anyone I mean anyone who is actually out there or with us not the onlookers at the spectacle that is slowly becoming the towering inferno.

VT:eek:

[Evanelpus]

Exeng don't go back I've found us all better and more reliably paying jobs at McDonald's

Now repeat after me, 2Would Sir like to supersize this order"?

Again, the chief pilot has promised pay on the 14th, but no surprise, no money.

First it was 7th and now this. C'mon, wake up and smell the roses and not what you put on them to make them grow.

Does anyone out there actually think that we are in a recoverable situation any more. By anyone I mean anyone who is actually out there or with us not the onlookers at the spectacle that is slowly becoming the towering inferno.


Does it matter where you are? Stevie Wonder could tell you this airline is going down the pan fast. GET OUT and do it NOW!

[JTrain]

What is happening at Arik Air seems like watching a train wreck in slow motion.

If you've been around Africa for a while, you know how this is going to play out.

Good luck to all involved.

jt

[atedo]

What is happening at Arik Air seems like watching a train wreck in slow motion.
If you've been around Africa for a while, you know how this is going to play out.
Good luck to all involved.


Does it matter where you are? Stevie Wonder could tell you this airline is going down the pan fast. GET OUT and do it NOW!

Are things these bad at W3? It will spell big doom for families in this Naija

[westafricanair]

Hi Guys,

Sounds grim at W3 at the moment, sorry to hear that things seem to be getting worse!

How many pilots have left and how many are stll there?

Are there enough left to run the operation and published schedules?

Anyone got an educated guess as to how long W3 will keep flying?

The Vanguard is publishing headline stories that W3 aircraft are returning from C - Check (why?), NCAA has given W3 the new AOC and the FAA have approved W3 to operate to the US - even though NCAA is not yet Cat 1? Lot's of good news but underlying tone is they owe big bucks everywhere.

I have a 'very' wild theory that things are going to come to a head in late October onwards.

Just look at what is happening at VK = no longer indebted to UBA! Yes, Nicon have apparently paid off USD237M!!!!!!! (Are they mad?):E

JI is stating VK will have 12 A/C by October and will be flying to UK/US by end of the year?

Is there a bigger picture where W3 is allowed to to 'fail'? Then it and it's shiny a/c can be 'seized' by the FG, who take on the debt and sell to / merge with VK at a knockdown price. VK who already have IOSA & IATA Interline & GDS presence worldwide = Voila, a monopoly NG airline created and ownership changed from OBJ's boy AJ and given to GJ's boy JI.

The only thing missing to ensure success is a decent global brand... oh yes, I remember now, UBA made VK give that up as they refused to pay the royalties.

And all done with 'funny munny' of course (alledgedly).

Any thoughts?

[fabso]

Possibilities Arik may go the way of Okada Air, Harka, seems to have been a flash in the pan afterall. What now happens to all these pilots and newbies, where would they be absorbed as the aviation industry is in dis-array? Aero a stable of the industry is heavily bleeding, even rotary wing is affected, any solutions?

[onefatpilot]

I hear there is a shortage of molue drivers in Lagos....hmmmmm...:E

[peppersoup]

Still want to work there ? :E


Arik Air, Arumeni, directors indicted for money laundering

ARIK Air Limited, its chairman, Mr Johnson Arumeni-Ikhide and directors have been indicted for money laundering by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and recommended for criminal trial.

The commission, which investigated the company for tax evasion totalling N5 billion, would also probe the sources of the firm’s funding.

Apart from Arumeni, others on the company’s board are the vice-chairman, Senator Anietie Okon, Mr. Michael McTighe, Olubiyi Sangowawa, Mr. Michael Arumeni-Ikhide, Mr. Dare Mabiaku, among others.

The commission, in its investigation which commenced on August 3, 2009, listed the laws breached by the company as;

•Money Laundering Violation: S. 14(a) of the Money Laundering Act - Money Laundering Offence predicated on the original illicit/illegal act of conversion of VAT (brings in the provision of 5.18 of Money Laundering Act to make the directors liable.

•Stealing/conversion: Contrary to S. 383(1), (2) (2)(e) and S. 387(f) of the Criminal Code Act and punishable under Section 390.

•Value Added Tax Act: Failure to keep proper records and accounts under Section 9 of Value Added Tax Act and punishable under S. 29 of the same act.

•Failure to submit returns contrary to S. 31 of Value Added Tax Act.

•Evasion of Tax contrary to S. 22 of Value Added Tax Act. iv. Effect of non-remittance of tax contrary to S. 31 of Value Added Tax Act.

•Offence by body corporate contrary to S. 33 of Value Added Tax Act - which makes every Director, Manager, Secretary, Management severally guilty of the Offence

“Investigation revealed that Arik Air Limited is a habitual tax evader. Their evasion history dates back to the period of commencement. Their account books are understated. The chairman does not consider tax as part of the company’s obligation. They collect tax on behalf of government and invest it in their business. They accepted liability with a payment plan which they refused abide with.

“For the reason that this investigation is holistic, I request your permission to allow it probe into the company’s source of funds. The company had 24 aircraft in its fleet when we commenced investigation about a year ago, information available to us reveals that it has acquired six more, yet the tax liability remains unpaid,” the commission said.

It was also revealed in an investigative report by the commission that the chairman of the commission, Arumemi-Ikhide, shunned four summons on him for interrogation in the course of the investigation.

Nigerian Tribune had reported, quoting a top source in the commission, that he finally appeared for interrogation on July 6, 2010, only to discover that he shunned the commission as usual, with only the acting Managing Director appearing for interrogation.

The commission had noted that “On August 10, 2009, the team commenced computation of the company’s tax liability and concluded on August 12, 2009.”

“The team invited the General Manager, Finance, Mr Steven Gharoro, on August 12 and 13, 2009 and his statement was obtained under the word of caution. He was, thereafter, released on bail.

“The Deputy Managing Director, Mr Chris Ndulue, was also invited by the commission on August 13 and 14, 2009 and his statement was accordingly obtained under the word of caution. He was also released on bail to a reliable surety.

“The chairman and managing director of the company were invited for a meeting on August 18, 2009, as the letter was delivered through the deputy general manager.

“On August 18, the vice chairman, Senator Anietie Okon, came in to represent the chairman at the meeting. He was cautioned and released on bail. He promised, through a written statement, to come with him on August 26, 2009.

“On that date, the chairman failed to honour our invitation. No reason was given for this action. The company maintained complete silence and did not deem it necessary to write to the commission.

“On August 31, 2009, the commission received a letter from the company that the chairman will be coming on September 4, 2009. He failed to appear on the said date.

“On September 7, 2009, the commission wrote a letter inviting the company’s chairman and his deputy managing director for a meeting in Abuja on September 10, 2009, this invitation was not honoured by the company.

“An investigation activities letter was written to NCAA and FAAN on June 18, 2010 for the current liability of Arik Air Limited to enable the team to conclude its investigation.

“The acting managing director was invited to Abuja on July 6, 2010, his addition statement was obtained and released on self recognisance to return on July 7, 2010 for processes but he never appeared.”

The commission, in its investigation, came up with findings which include:

•That, by its nature, the company is liable by law to pay such taxes as Company Income Tax, VAT, Withholding Tax, Education Tax, Personal Income Tax, Capital Gains Tax, Passenger Service Charge (PSC) and Ticket Sales Commission (TSC) to the government.

•That the company charges VAT, PSC, TSC, and CSC on all their transactions but do not remit to the appropriate authorities.

•That the company is on tax relief from company income tax and education tax for the period under review.

•That the company has been deducting but has not remitted withholding tax amounting to N155,917,998.15 for the period under review.

•That the company only remitted a negligible amount of N100 million out of its total VAT liability of N1,793,077,594.39 since they commenced operation in 2006.

•That the company has outstanding payments of PSC to FAAN of N221,406,446.61 as at October 2009.

•That the company has outstanding payments to NCAA in the form of TSC totalling N1,534,812,141.99

•That the company has outstanding payment N443,368,738.71 to NAMA as at October, 2009.

•That the company’s account is grossly understated but we were still able to come up with a liability of over 5 billion.

•That Arik Air Limited is a habitual tax evader.

•That the commission received a letter dated February 14, 2010 from Arik accepting a tax liability of VAT and Withholding Tax of N1,750,370,455.04, against our reconciled sum of 1,848,995,592.54 (they appealed for a deduction of N98,625,137.5 based on technical reasons).

•A payment plan was communicated to the commission through a letter dated 12th April, 2010 for which the sum of 150 million was to be paid by the end of April 2010 and another N100 million subsequently until the total amount is liquidated.

•That the company treats tax and levies matters with levity evidenced by their non-remittance to the regulatory authorities.

The commission, however, noted that Arik had not been faithful to its own promise of instalment payment of the accepted tax liability.
:oh:

[exeng]

I've given up holding my breath now as I have a feeling this pay day will never arrive.

The chairman Johnson is a knight of the church apparently. He wants to take a gander at that bit in the bible which goes something along the lines of "it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter heaven". Johnson and camels - camels and johnson; perhaps the chap who wrote that bit was seeing some irony in the future.


Regards
Exeng

[onefatpilot]

Well that would explain why the man and his son are never in Nigeria for long....you cant catch what you cant see,,,,:sad::cool: Also Arik Air wants to sell 5 737s and Air Nigeria wants to buy 5 737s before October,,,,,,I wonder if there is a connection....:ok:

[SuperJet]

Hi All,

I read this whole thread, and well, cannot say I am surprised. Not much better than the Russians! Pay is late, false reasons for delaying pay, firing people for no reason other than to save on redundancy payments... ah, its all spreading!

Anyway, hope all is working out ok there.

My question is, to anyone brave enough to pick this one up, is, I have applied for a job out there, VP Flight Ops. Considering what they require for the role, its right upmy street. I am not unused to adverse cultures and the whole "Managers/Owners at the top trickle out the money on pain of death only" mentality - again, Russian clients taught me that well!

Do Arik pay ok? Is it really like living in a prison out there? How corrupt is it? Essentially, if I was offered the position, is it workable? Do they pay in local currency, and is it better (or even possible) to be paid in EUR or GBP or somesuch?

Please PM if you like - it would be most appreciated, and, best of luck to you all!

SJ

[Vortex Thing]

Superjet I'll pick this one up!
My question is, to anyone brave enough to pick this one up, is, I have applied for a job out there, VP Flight Ops. Considering what they require for the role, its right up my street. I am not unused to adverse cultures and the whole "Managers/Owners at the top trickle out the money on pain of death only" mentality - again, Russian clients taught me that well!

Do Arik pay ok? No Arik pay is very poor.

Is it really like living in a prison out there?
Yes it is like living in a prison only slightly less comfortable and the food isn't as good or regular.

How corrupt is it? It is as corrupt as it is possible to be and still trade. In fact if you look up corruption in the dictionary it says "You are welcome to Nigeria and the Centre of Excellence!"

Essentially, if I was offered the position, is it workable? Yes if you really have done something bad and feel the need to pay penance then come work here otherwise go get a psych eval!! You come here if you cannot work elsewhere in the world full stop.

Do they pay in local currency, and is it better (or even possible) to be paid in EUR or GBP or somesuch? Both 90% bank of you choice anywhere in the world in US dollars 10% local. Frequency read the thread.

To be frank if you are employed somewhere and leave that job to come here then you deserve everything you get on arrival. And trust us you will get it!

I hope to be gone before you arrive so good luck !VT

[glideslopealive]

I might not particularly be a fan of Arik, bcos of the generally held view of the way it was established. But being a Nigerian, i feel so sad that things have taken a turn for the worse, as this once great airline is now fighting for its life all bcos of the insecerity, greed, corruption and mismanagment of AJ and his cronies who know nothing about aviation, but want to be the Richard Branson of Nigerian aviation in a twinkle of an eye. It looks almost impossible for Arik to ever recover. But for the sake of it being the single largest private sector employer of Nigerians in the aviation sector, lets all do everything possible to save her. I cannot imagine the hardship that thousands of families in Nigeria and to an extent, families of foreign employees who depend on it would face.

[TonyWilliams]

What would you suggest could turn it around? Payday is just 3 days away, and many have only recently been paid from last month.

Not paying the staff is not just a symptom of being grossly in debt. It's a bit of a power thing, too. And based on the likely source of money (according to the government) to implement and run the company, I'm not sure that's going to go away.

Any airline is a handful even with first world infrastructure and experienced managers. Not much can be done about the former, but how do you address the latter?

How do you make up with virtually every vender, supplier, and employee who's suffered this (Virgin Nigeria has changed ownership and name.. Is it all better yet?).

I'm glad that you recognize that failures by Arik leadership affect all employees, foreign and domestic.

[chuks]

There is a very familiar pattern here to be seen, I think, one that most people could see from the start. All that is different with Arik is the size of the thing, a scam run with really huge numbers since it was supposed to be a major airline.

You had such as Boeing on board with Arik, or am I the only one who can remember the big news about the order for a whole fleet of new Boeings? I do not expect such a company would look very closely at the source of the money for this huge order but just say, "Thanks so very, very much!" and then rush the PR people in to put the item in the news. If it turns out later that this was just a figment of someone's imagination, well... that is not a big surprise in this business.

On the local level this was only going to work as long as Arik's ogah still had fellow raskols in power on the national level. Well, their best friend is now having his mail delivered by groundhogs so that it was only a matter of time before that nasty man from EFCC came around asking the same awkward questions about where the money from Rivers State went, where the money for Arik came from, is that perhaps the same money... that sort of thing.

The next act of this farce should be the stripping of Arik's assets (mainly its aircraft, one assumes, if they aren't found to be merely leased) and the hiding of the money.

Then we should have the disappearance of the people behind the scam for a decent interval before they sort things out by paying a mere percentage of what they stole (invested, whatever) to return to live in peace and freedom.

To an outsider this reads like something outlandish but just check out the history of Umaru Dikko, for one. First the then-government of Nigeria wanted him back so badly that they even did a clumsy kidnap attempt from London, since he seemed to have made away with quite a bit of money from his time as a cabinet minister. The memory is a bit foggy but was it something like $1, 000, 000, 000.00? Later, though, everyone kissed and made up so that now he's back home, probably still in possession of the bulk of his stolen loot although that is something we little people probably shall never know.

I really, really miss Jerry Agbeye-Agbeye now! He would have such a good time raking this one over.

[Oba1kanobe]

Arik Air is indebted to NAMA on the Terminal Navigation Changes (TNC) and en route air charges for both domestic and international operations.

Outstanding debt:

International $N 1,889,000,000 ($12.6 million USD)
Domestic $N 605,000,000 ( $4 million USD)

Pilots were told Saturday evening that they should be happy that they are paid late, because many other airlines also pay late.

In other words, it won't ever be on time.

B777's are cancelled. Announced are some crazy orders for REALLY big airplanes that we'll also not see ever. Does anybody see a pattern here?

When those planes don't arrive, then it will be announced that space shuttles and lunar orbiters are on order... all contingent on the company remaining in business that long.:rolleyes:

[Oyindo]

Pilots were told Saturday evening that they should be happy that they are paid late, because many other airlines also pay late.

This man must be an idi:mad:t, how lucky are we?

[Oba1kanobe]

The Chairman also said that the money laundering issue is absolutely false, and is a vicious rumor spread by pilots.

I guess we must be getting close to the truth, for him to even address it.

Also, if you don't like the company, you should "peacefully leave". So, you bad pilots, stop making up lies !!! And making planes late. And being mean to customers. And putting people in first / business class. And complaining about you hotel or pay.

[Oba1kanobe]

One of the larger hotels that Arik uses in Lagos had the following note slid under the crewmembers' hotel room doors:

"Dear Sir, This is to bring to your notice that as from 27/07/10, all Arik crew are to pay cash for their Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Thanks for your understanding, Management"
:D

[sunset_contrails_10]

Is all of this Arik Air news true? Heading up to Canada for an interview at the end of the week.

[Evanelpus]

Is all of this Arik Air news true? Heading up to Canada for an interview at the end of the week.

Have you not read this thread? If you are going for an ARIK interview, save your washing machine the bother and don't go.

If you do and accept a job with then you deserve everything that's coming to you.

[Don K]

sunset contrails...

At some point around two years ago Arik was an okay solution if you had no job... but the last six months it has gotten a lot worse. Do yourself a favor and stay away! a beg oh... :8

[Oyindo]

Barge pole comes to mind !! contrails if you are up for a life changing experience, then Arik - Lagos is the place to be. A word is enough for the wise!!! Good luck

[Vortex Thing]

Sunset contrails.

Would have been easier to just pull the pin and throw the grenade in the thread to normally get a troll worthy reply.

To be honest though making a joke like wanting to join Arik at our expense is hardly the support we expect from a fellow aviator!

If just on the off chance you are for real I thought sanity was a requirement for a Class 1 medical are you sure you're current!

VT:ugh:

[NaijaNinja]

Like your name suggests, help yourself not to wail in the WAKE of those who were like you few months/years ago. Trust me, the wailing often happens after sunset & you won't be able to nap let alone sleep.

As long as people like you keep turning up at Arik, AJ will continue to believe that he can treat Pilots especially locals like ****. He will simply be recycling pilots for that hogwash of an airline that he runs. Come to think of it, who would have thought he would treat expats like ****?

If the supply of expats is cut off from his reach, he will begin to learn vital lessons on how not to run an airline.

[Don K]

AJ will never learn and never change, he will rather have it all go to H... than start treating his employees better! Expats or not... anyways, no expat pilots have been hired for more than a year and loads have left... lets see how the future works out.

[sunset_contrails_10]

@naija ninja and vortex thing,


Not sure what your talking about. I can leave on crappy organization making four thousand a month after taxes and only get twelve days off a month or get double the pay and a month vacation every other month.

Everybody has a better job. Don't slam the guys that are trying to earn a reasonable wage.

If you don't work for Arik, then what is your concern? If you do work for Arik, then what the hell are you don't there?

[Oba1kanobe]

I can leave on crappy organization making four thousand a month after taxes and only get twelve days off a month


If I understand you correctly, you are working now??? If so, I would not suggest leaving to go to Arik.

There is a very real possibility that you won't get paid, and that this company may fail at some point. But, they continue to purchase planes.

Today's Arik rumor... Dr. M has signed for three additional A330's. If true, it would be hard to imagine where they would fly, or who would fly them. The last thing this company needs is more big, empty airplanes.

[Vortex Thing]

We could always crew them with empty promises and discontented pax!

[NaijaNinja]

Sunset Contrails, you would be pleased to know that AJ loves to have a freshie off the boat every now & then, so you are most welcome to join the daredevils who AJ has expeditiously softened.

Please do let us know when you get your first paycheque!

Finally, please do not come on this forum whining about how you got suspended without pay when you refused to work because you had not been paid.

And FYI, i don't work for AJ, it would be nice if you could tell me what its like to work for him, i might just join you when old blighty sends me packing.

[exeng]

I have worked for airlines who apparently knew what the 'big picture' was. That they didn't know it will come as no surprise to all our readers.

Arik, however, take the big picture idea to new levels. Arik have no idea whatsoever (honestly) and just buy aircraft with no idea how they will operate them.

To be fair on the 737 fleet there is a semblance of an operation but it is dogged by every inefficiency possible. Rostering is indescribable - good trips like LHR require a bribe of sorts to a certain person in rostering (good idea to call him on 'Friday') I will never engage in that sort of thing. No one rostering officer makes a note of what they have or have not done and so the result is complete and utter chaos.

A baggage check is required by each pax before they board. It took me a few months to realise that these checks were not being done when it was raining - they would argue that these checks were not required when it was raining! (like most of the time)

You will find that most (not all) of the people you have to deal with on the ground at Arik are lazy and deceitful (they have been known to tell the odd lie - something like if you fly this aircraft today I promise you will be be paid today). I'm sorry to say this but when I went to LOS I kept an open mind about all the folk there - sadly I have come away with the opinion that Nigeria has a culture of lying with a few exceptional individuals.

The whole country is a basket case in my view and I hope I never set foot in the place again.

Arik is a microcosm of the the whole country and culture.

I apologise to any innocent Nigerians I may have offended, in particular I apologise to the majority of Arik Captains and F/O's who are generally decent and honest folk who continually struggle against Arik and the general Nigerian situation (awful ATC etc, etc) in order to provide a safe passage for their passengers. These folks do a magnificent job under the circumstances and in my view should be rewarded with double the pay etc and be paid on time obviously.

Nevertheless I stand by my comments about the prevalent culture in Nigeria. You have to live and work here to really understand how bad it is.


Kind regards
Exeng

[Oba1kanobe]

Tick

Tock

Tick

Tock

Tick

Tock

:(

[sunset_contrails_10]

Naija Ninja

Maybe you could come and work in our country. Try your luck at Mesa, or Trans States, or Pinnacle, or Colgan, or PSA, and now you can add to the list Compass and Mesaba. Tell me how management treats you. I have worked for several of them. Management on more than one occasion has made public statements such as "If i get a pilot to come and interview for eighteen dollars an hour than I am still paying him too much." Another once stated, "If it looks like a pile of sh&% and smells like a pile of sh&% then it is probably a pile of sh&%. Get over it because it's never going to change." He was describing the work conditions and saying that if you don't like it you can leave.

Yes, Arik Air may be a poor operation but I see no difference to the regionals in the USA. If the pay is two to three weeks late every month? I agree that is bad. Twice the pay late is better than half the pay ontime. All other working conditions are the same.

As far as whining? It seems that you are whining on these boards and you don't even work for them. What is your concern?

[Capetonian]

....when I went to LOS I kept an open mind - sadly I have come away with the opinion that Nigeria has a culture of lying with a few exceptional individuals.

The whole country is a basket case in my view and I hope I never set foot in the place again.

I apologise to any innocent Nigerians I may have offended ....Nevertheless I stand by my comments about the prevalent culture in Nigeria. You have to live and work here to really understand how bad it is.

Now we're going to see the willy wavers accusing Exeng (and me) of 'racism' for stating the reality of this ghastly country.

I can live quite happily with my opinion and in the knowledge that I too will never set foot inthat place again.

[NaijaNinja]

Sunset, you've explained the inspiration for your dogged ruggedness, fair enough! It looks like you really like sh&%, just don't forget to tell us what it tastes like when you've been given your pile by AJ. All the best mate.

Exeng, you've expressed the truth in a dignifying way, i admire and respect the way you didn't stoop low like certain characters who know themselves. Keep the spirit & happy landings mate.

[Don K]

9th & 11th, less than two weeks ago they said the 6th?? And the subsequent paid normally one week late?? How can this be normal when contracts say 28th-30th??.
I lack the ability to understand this matter!

Just another chapter of the Arik story.

[Greeson]

Let me start by apologizing for the thread hi-jack. I'll be quick. Last Friday, the 23rd, an Arik 330 leaving JNB had the firetrucks out with the watercannons going. Possibley someones last flight or something, anyway, I was taxiing past and got some great photos. If that was you or you know who it was in the 330 and they would like me to send them the pics, give us a PM.

[Don K]

Not last.. but first flight of the A330.

[TonyWilliams]

I see no difference to the regionals in the USA. If the pay is two to three weeks late every month? I agree that is bad. Twice the pay late is better than half the pay ontime. All other working conditions are the same.


All other working conditions are not the same as a regional in the USA. First, you won't be going home for 56 days at a time. You'll live in a hotel (or presumably someday a pilot compound) the entire time.

We are currently under order by the CP to not leave Lagos during that time. You won't go anywhere while here, except where you fly to. You won't get malaria at a regional in the USA. You won't have guys with AK-47's on the streets during your drive to work in the USA. Every street isn't lined with an open sewer in the USA.

You won't have a monthly roster. Usually, you have no idea if you're working or not until the evening before. In the USA, there's a winter. It's hot every single day here. Just some days are hotter than others. The pollution (air, water, land) is something that has to been seen to be believed. You won't be taking evening strolls through the neighborhood. (at the hotel I'm currently at, a few months ago, two pilots were armed at gunpoint at the gate in front of the hotel... neither works here anymore).

It's not hard to have higher pay than a US regional. McDonalds does (by the way, no McDonalds in Nigeria). But, there, you go home every night to your family.

[thepounder]

no McD's? shoot....gotta pull my app!

[Ben178v]

There's always Mr Bigs which is just the same except on my 2 visits I was offered bread because they had no burgers. I'm not sure they have grasped the concept of a burger shop yet.

[thepounder]

What about Taco Bell? If no Taco Bell, then what do you eat after a night of drinking?

[Oba1kanobe]

Today (and the 11th) is the revised payday that Arik Air management has promised, now 11 days late. But, I predict this pay day will be the single greatest loss of pilots of any month.

1. Many are just waiting to get this last pay in August before leaving. Already this year, only slightly more than half way through, 1/3 of the pilot workforce has quit. Even engineer employees are leaving.

2. Flights are being cancelled for lack of crews. B737's are being flown with captain/captain, because there are so few FO's. It's difficult to recruit new pilots for obvious reasons. The company has resorted to calling former pilots, asking them to leave Emirates / Turkish / many other airlines around the world, to come back to Arik. What can they promise them? More late paycheques? Maybe threats of being fired if you sit, or allow somebody else to sit in business / first class? I don't think this has been very successful.

3. The new A330 has gone several days of no flying for lack of crew. An even more daunting task exists for recruiting for this airplane, since there are so many lucrative contracts out there with companies that pay WAY more money, and pay on time, and work in generally more hospitable areas. Even A330 rated Nigerian pilots working abroad (Virgin Atlantic and Qatar) have been contacted about working here (they didn't apply). I can't imagine any of them wanting to leave what they have for Arik.

4. Planes are routinely delayed for such basics as fuel, ATC fees, maintenance and parts because they have not been paid for. Even such basic ingredients as Jeppessen were not paid for, so a new company is supplying approach plates... that hasn't been paid. They threatened to shut us off today.

5. The company still operates, since April 2010, without a permanent MD and DFO. Very soon will be 4 years operating, without the basic international standards of IATA being meet.

6. With traffic anticipated to decline with the end of summer, revenue will decline even further than the many cancelled flights for lack of crew.

7. Crews / management employees were recently snuck out of HJ hotel late in the evening to a new housing arrangement so as not to pay the huge bill there. Yet another place that Arik will owe, and won't be welcome in the future. They will do the same stunt with every remaining hotel when the crew compound opens in 6 months. It's a regular occurance for crews to be denied food at hotels, because Arik did not pay.

8. There are many more major problems, but the biggest seems to be the total lack of acknowledgement of a problem. If you believe the rumours of a HUGE money laundering scheme, then I guess there isn't a problem. However, if that is not the case, then this company is headed for a VERY rough road ahead.

[atedo]

Did I read Critical Mess?

[Vortex Thing]

If there was some sort of semblance of corporate governance there would be McDs, KFC, et al unfortunately you would need some sort of a government, oh and an infrastructure and then corporate governance and and I forgot oh yes expats otherwise you would get a half hour excuse telling you why they have no chips only potatoes a deep fat fryer and 17 staff.

Anyone been paid I heard one captain who lives near the Danube has had some through and I am sure JH or TW must have seen something.

Any bets for this month?

VT.:suspect:

[TonyWilliams]

I got paid, 9 Aug 2010, for July. 11 days late. I was paid the full amount owed for my salary, but without the money owed me for airline tickets.

They have promised to pay on time for August, but then they promised to pay on time when I signed my contract. I can only hope that the directors of this company will provide me with a similar level of service that I provide when I show up for work every day, on time, ready to work. :E

[9jarep]

Who on earth goes to McD Taco bell:rolleyes: after a night of Drinking did the bar run out of wings or whatever they serve on the side assuming you are old enough to go to a Bar(Pub) or is this just a cheap attempt to rubbish Lagos:{ where the bars Traditionally serve fresh fish , Spiced snail,Ox Tail soup etc with your beer:D only a Gloutton would go looking for more to eat after a night of Drinking in Lagos:= guess you do not read or travel much to know how people unwind in Different countries

[Vortex Thing]

Of course we are all untravelled airline pilots. We are the run of the mill sort of guys who just moved 6000nm for work on a whim and had until we arrived in Nigeria had never left England much less Europe.

Silly us for thinking that some of the world's largest multinational food chains may know a thing or two about marketing to their target audience.

I now see the error in my ways the other 5 inhabited continents which all have these firms in most major cities are also likely inhabited by untravelled cultureless pilots who should learn their lesson also and shall petition these firms to sell fresh fish and Oxtail and of course spiced snail.

Can I get my money so I can leave now?
VT

[Oba1kanobe]

The Boeing Company (http://active.boeing.com/commercial/orders/index.cfm?content=displaystandardreport.cfm&RequestTimeout=20000&optReportType=CurYrDelv&pageid=m15520)

Current Year Deliveries
Through July 2010

Arik Air one-737

Arik Air is not listed on the "orders" list.

[Mr. Smith]

Rumor has it they might be picking up some A320's? :confused:

[Oba1kanobe]

Rumor has it they might be picking up some A320's?


I doubt it. Arik no longer puts their aircraft orders on the website, and rightfully so. It looked like a child with play things, wanting one or two of everything, and changing his mind at every breath.

Virtually every airplane of any notoriety in the world in current production has been, or is, on this guy's "order" list.

This week's rumours... A380 and B747-800 (after reviewing both the Boeing and Airbus sites, neither plane is listed as "ordered"). Although, I note that Boeing has no orders for any Boeing, according to their website. Although, the A330 was not in any plan, and here it is! Rumours of 3 more of those... who will fly these would be anybody's guess. They can't keep enough crew for one.

In the past, it's been B787, B777, more B737, blah, blah. I wonder if he gets a woodie with this blather? And just like a child, the house could be burning around him, and he'd still be concerned with his playthings.

Does anybody have a link to the Airbus order site?

[Mr. Smith]

Orders & deliveries (http://www.airbus.com/en/corporate/orders_and_deliveries)

http://www.airbus.com/fileadmin/backstage/documents/od/July_2010.xls

[LOS]

Arik Air is not listed on the "orders" list.Wrong.
http://active.boeing.com/commercial/orders/index.cfm?content=customerselection.cfm&pageid=m15524 (http://active.boeing.com/commercial/orders/index.cfm?content=displaystandardreport.cfm&pageid=m25064&RequestTimeout=20000)

Customer Summary Through July 2010
Model Series Eng First Order Orders Deliveries Unfilled First Delivery
Arik Air (NIGERIA)-Total 29 2 27
737-800 CF 06-Sep-2007 14 2 12 28-Oct-2009
737-900ER CF 06-Sep-2007 3 - 3
737 Total 17 2 15
777-300ER GE 30-Mar-2007 5 - 5
777 Total 5 - 5
787-9 GE 30-Mar-2007 7 - 7
787 Total 7 - 7
Customer Total 29 2 27
Model Series Eng First Order Orders Deliveries Unfilled First Delivery

[chuks]

We have evidence piled up knee-high of unpaid wages, unpaid bills, total chaos in general at Arik yet what must be a billion dollars worth of Boeings are still listed on the order books.

If Arik is liquid then why do they not pay their bills as normal companies do? Okay, many pay late but this reads like doing a moonlight flit from a hotel, out the back door and off in the crew bus with no plans to pay the owings ever, pretty bush stuff really.

Never mind stiffing a hotel or two, how about the unpaid wages? That really sends a message, doesn't it?

I think it suits Boeing to carry these orders on their books but would you like to bet that there have been some serious discussions, well hidden from public view, about how they might as well forget Arik as a serious customer for such things as the 787 as things now stand?

Okay, the paperwork is all in order, signatures on the dotted lines, so that Boeing has nothing to fear from the SEC about pumping up the order book with hot air to keep their stock price up. After all, it is not their fault if this or that customer proves unable to come up with the readies at the appointed time. Then they just feign disappointment, knock the order on the head and keep the deposit to carry on from there, not an unheard of thing in the airplane business.

The next act should see the sudden collapse of Arik and the even suddener disappearance of the topshots of Arik to cooler climes (London W1 is very nice in autumn, I hear) for a decent interval while the dust rises and then settles, a board of inquiry is called loudly to life but then quietly laid to rest, a tenth if that much of the purloined money is paid back, ferry crews appear to take back the grounded birds after the usual struggle with local courts and the disappointed staff chase their unpaid wages through the Nigerian legal system.

The final act? Why, the return of the raskols, all forgiven and forgotten in the true Nigerian manner! Ask Umaru Dikko how that works because I cannot explain it despite quite a while spent watching and wondering on the fringes of the Nigerian scene.

Jerry could have told all this much, much better but we just have to get along without him.

[Oba1kanobe]

Your Boeing link sends me here, where Arik is not listed for future orders as of this date:

Orders through August 3, 2010 737 747 767 777 787 Total
2010 Net Orders.......................229... 1... 3... 26... -4... 255
Air China
Air Austral
Alaska Airlines
American Airlines
:ugh:
Azerbaijan Airlines
Business Jet / VIP Customer(s)
Emirates
Ethiopian Airlines
FedEx
GECAS
Luxair
Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA
Okay Airways Company Limited
Qatar Airways
Royal Jordanian
Somon Air
Southwest Airlines
Turkish Airlines
Unidentified Customer(s)
United Airlines
Virgin Blue Airlines

But, under the "Unfilled Orders" tab, I find this:


Unfilled Orders by Customer Through July 2010

Model..Orders..Deliveries..Unfilled

737.......17...........2...........15
777........5............0............5
787........7............0............7

*******************************
Clicking the "User Defined Report" generates this data:

Orders for July 2004 through July 2010

Customer..Order..............Date.....Total

Arik Air...737-800.......06-Sep-2007...7
Arik Air...737-800.......25-Jun-2008...7
Arik Air...737-900ER...06-Sep-2007...3
Arik Air...777-300ER...30-Mar-2007...4
Arik Air...777-300ER...04-Sep-2007...1
Arik Air...787-9..........30-Mar-2007...3
Arik Air...787-9..........11-Sep-2007...4

Total 29

So, the most recent Boeing order is the 737-800 order of over 2 years ago. 4 of those have been delivered, of 14 ordered. None of the other aircraft have arrived (Arik had an opportunity last year to accept 777's, but turned it down). This data is current through July 2010. The August 3, 2010 data doesn't even list Arik????? Wonder what changed?

[LOS]

Orders through August 3, 2010

Arik Air didn't order any Boeing aircraft in 2010, so that's why they are not on this list.

But, under the "unfilled orders" tab, I find this:

Unfilled Orders by Customer Through July 2010
Model Orders Deliveries Unfilled
Arik Air
737 17 2 15
777 5 0 5
787 7 0 7

Correct. These are the aircraft Arik Air has on order and are not yet delivered. Only two have been accepted: both B738s (one in 2009 and one in 2010; use the 'User Defined Reports' function to retrieve this information). All Arik's other Boeings are leased and not listed under Arik's name.

No orders have been cancelled so far.

[TonyWilliams]

Posted advert by Arik, 10 Aug 2010:

Arik is seeking experienced chefs to run our new ex-pat compound based in Lagos Nigeria. The Compound is new and will be fully equipped by October 2010. If you are an experienced chef looking for a challenge looks no further. Ideally experience in an African country would be advantageous.

As part of the application process the recruiter has asked that you answer some filter questions. You will be asked the questions below, only continue your application if you can answer these.

Experienced Chef
Willing to relocate to Lagos
Experience in harsh environments


No mention of pay:E

[Evanelpus]

No mention of pay


..........or if you will be paid!

[TonyWilliams]

Good news. We have an applicant for Arik Chef:

I can't cook, i'm not remotely interested if you enjoy the food or get any for that matter, will spend the grocery money on myself and buy bush meat with what's left, probably turn up drunk half the time and will spend the other half of the time asleep on cardboard! Do I qualify? If so let me know, I could do with a career job....

[A-3TWENTY]

Hi,

In 2009 , there was a company in Spain which started delaying its staff salary. Pilots included.It took 2 month. After that , they stopped completely. They were only paying the crew meals when abroad. It lasted 8 month untill the company went out of business and everybody lost the job without a penny.

But , there was one group of professionals (with balls) that never stopped receiving their salary ON TIME !!!!
These professional were the mechanics. In the second delay they comunicated the company that they would be stoping completely the exact number of days that salary was delayed. And if they stoped paying yhey would be leaving.
And you know what??
They were the only one professional which received their salary until the next month of this company existence.

Of course , as always pilots belong for that coward group which never do anything but complaining amongst them as histeric chics.
Oh..I`m wrong..not all are histeric chicks , some make jokes about the situation as if it wasn`t a real problem in order not to have to take a firm , adult position.

A-3TWENTY

[Oba1kanobe]

But , there was one group of professionals (with balls) that never stopped receiving their salary ON TIME !!!!
These professional were the mechanics.


There are a select few at Arik who do get paid on time. The contractor "HiFly", currently operating both A340's, gets paid by the 15th of the month preceding the month of service. They achieved this, of course, after not getting paid on time from Arik. So, HiFly threatened to cancel their service, which would have immediately stopped JFK service indefinitely.

Apparently, this threat was perceived as real, and the blow to the ego of curtailed service to New York would be big. By the way, this route loses HUGE amounts of money for Arik.This contract was scheduled to expire March 2011, but rumour is that it has been extended for another year (and rightfully so).

In contrast, contractor Denim air, which operated their own planes, was stiffed for LOADS of money. So was the government of Niger, for ATC fees and the like. Probably every hotel and fuel supplier, too.

For last month, our engineers (many, many of them from Spain) have still not been paid. :ugh: For the most part, the pilots have now been paid for last month. Predictably, pilots are still resigning at an alarming rate.

[westafricanair]

Heard a story from LHR last week that there was a near riot at T4 by delayed Arik pax who were delayed 24 hours and then again for 24 hours.

The delay was due to cashflow problems which meant the a/c couldn't go anywhere as it was tech and no money to pay for spares!

Crew are also not being bused in as usual as the coach company has not been paid.

Getting close to the slippery slope and next thing is no onboard catering followed by a/c impounded by BAA or Eurocontrol!

Arik need London to keep going - great market share but all at low yield - for the 'hard currency' to pay the international suppliers that all airlines rely on. If they are struggling to prioritise this due to lack of funds then they are in the big do-do:\

Also, the GSA in UK & USA is on the way out, so that's the credible sales & marketing finished, to be replaced by in-house sales.

I reckon they will be OK until Xmas with the bonus October traffic for independence day celebrations, but next year when no one goes South due to the imminent elections they will go belly up.

Unless, AJ's man can get his man elected there won't be a re-birth like VK:hmm:

[Mr. Smith]

what market share do they have on LHR? Do they have any corporate clients?

[westafricanair]

Comparable to BA & VS most of time, higher during peak - but all at the wrong end.

No significant corporate traffic from UK.

So no huge profits on those routes, just enough to keep the cashflow going in GBP, USD & EUR in the short term - but saying that they run out last week...

Must be the pilots in LOS fault - why on earth would they wnat to be paid for the job they love to do:)

[Oba1kanobe]

The money pinch is everywhere. The Airbus tankered 30 TONNES of fuel from LOS (where they have limited credit) to London so that they wouldn't have to pay cash (that they don't have) for fuel there.

The HMU (fancy name for fuel pump, cost over $100,000 each) has been replaced 4 times recently, probably because of bad fuel in LOS. They didn't want to pay for an installation in London, so they tried to smuggle the HMU to LOS. Customs said no, they must pay the duties. So it was carried back to London.

The bottom line. Maintenance is clearly dictated by cash. No money, just fly a round trip with a known faulty HMU.

[Mr. Smith]

How does bad fuel damage the HMU multiple times but not affect the airline?

Arik is truly in troubled times, hope they straigten themselves out, however the Nigerian air industry needs true professionals. With Ariks financial woes, hopefully this will atleast put to rest some of the talk of illegal financing of the airline. I truly hope they survive, obviously with better management, operations, etc.

[unstable load]

How does bad fuel damage the HMU multiple times but not affect the airline?

Mr Smith,
Bad fuel will damage EVERY HMU fitted to the aircraft until all the bad stuff is out of that particular system. In other words, if it's the left hand wing/tanks for example that uplifted bad fuel, the left hand engine/s depending on type will experience problems.
As for the damage to the airline, I can only assume it's to reputation, prestige and the bank balance.

[westafricanair]

Mr Smith wrote:
With Ariks financial woes, hopefully this will atleast put to rest some of the talk of illegal financing of the airline

Think about this...

Arik have never had a sustainable business model from day 1 (how many shiny new a/c sitting around) and yet they have only had money woes since GJ became President?

Add to that the fact that VK have come back from the dead after being bought out by JI who is the Chairman of GJ's election committee.

I wonder does anyone know who actually owns Arik's fleet?

[moondriver]

How can one of the richest oil producing countries claim to be impacted by higher fuel prices! LOL!

In 1991 I was working for Saudi Aramco, flying out of Dhahran. Like everyone I bought a car and bought gas at the Aramco Camp gas station. It only cost about $0.50 per gallon. And one day the station ran out of gas! All the expats were shouting, "We're sitting on top of the world's largest supply of petroleum, and there's no :mad: gas?":D

[AF022]

I know that ET and ASKY are both expanding, and that they are looking for pilots. I would bet that things are better in Addis or Lome than in Lagos. At least one would get paid on time.

[unstable load]

How can one of the richest oil producing countries claim to be impacted by higher fuel prices! LOL!

Moondriver,

Politics is basically to blame for the situation. There used to be regular mogas shortages too when I used to rotate out of there.

[Oba1kanobe]

With Ariks financial woes, hopefully this will atleast put to rest some of the talk of illegal financing of the airline


I disagree. I think that it suggests otherwise. For those of us flying here, Arik has always been an absolute mess with regard to finances. Even last year, pilots would show up at training events, only to be turned away for non-payment. So, Arik would pay the pilot's paycheque a few days late every month, the hotel and airfare, and per diem... only to have to do the training event again anyway. Every airline training company in the WORLD knows Arik, and not in a good way !

I wouldn't want to guess how many MILLIONS of dollars have been wasted that way. The Q400 crews were paid for a year to sit at home, waiting for airplanes that... weren't paid for. More MILLIONS wasted. At the same time these millions were being wasted, they were out paying millions for new planes. Absolutely GROSS mismanagement. As noted in the indictment of Arik principles for money laundering, six new airplanes were added to the fleet from the time Arik agreed to a payment plan of taxes/fees (which they didn't adhere to). GROSS mismanagement.

The gross mismanagement still exists. The company still has crews sitting at home waiting for Arik to pay for their recurrent training. Crews are waiting in hotels in Lagos for Arik to pay for their rotation back home.

What's significantly different now is that they clearly don't have money. That probably isn't due to ONLY a change in political clout in Abuja. Customers are not impressed with frequent cancellations, late being the norm.

When I hired on, the then DFO told us that this company had enough money to operate for 5 years without a profit. That money didn't just fall out of trees. Obviously, it came from somewhere. At the end of 5 years, they hoped to have market share, and have the competition run out of business. This October will complete the 4th year of operations. The other airlines didn't disappear. The competition going into more US or European markets will only get greater. Continental/United is not going to let Arik stroll into IAH for free.


How can one of the richest oil producing countries claim to be impacted by higher fuel prices! LOL!


Nigeria does not produce the fuel. Zero production. They only poke holes in the ground for the stuff to squirt out of into ships to be delivered around the world. It has to come back in ships as a refined product at a premium price.


I know that ET and ASKY are both expanding, and that they are looking for pilots.


Our fellow pilots are having no problem finding jobs in Europe, and around the world. 1/3 of the pilot workforce has left in 2010 alone. Rumours abound with the following probable outcomes for attempting to retain flight crews:

1. Nigerian crew's pay has already been "harmonised", however, not yet on par with expats
2. Expat rotation changed to 4 weeks on / 4 weeks off
3. Crews allowed in business class
4. Expats paid $500 per month to buy their own travel arrangements from gateway cities of New York and London (they will fly business on Arik there). This $500 is increased by $500 for each year of service, to a maximum of 3 years, or $1500 / month.
5. Expat 6 month recurrent training to be completed during rotation home
6. Expat crew compound should be ready by Jan 2011
7. Begin actively transitioning pilots to larger aircraft within the fleet, and upgrading first officers to captain.
8. Getting paid on time, which is promised to start this month, on the 28th to 30th.
9. No word on per diems, but they need to be addressed. A330 crews are paid $150 for an overnight in J-burg, while lowly B737 crews get significantly less. Per diem for training was lowered from $200 to $150, and has now been set to $200 again.

Naturally, the devil is in the details. Crews are not going to just believe promises from this company. Action, and now.

Getting an MD would seem to be a good idea. One who knows how to run a profitable airline.... that's not the current group, BTW.

[Ethiopia]

Looks like Arik is looking for A330 crews. Will that be to replace Hifly pilots or just to supplement them?

Global Airline Jobs - Arik Air (http://www.globalairlinejobs.com/index.php?option=com_easysource&view=default&Itemid=30&idd=9)

[Oba1kanobe]

Looks like Arik is looking for A330 crews. Will that be to replace Hifly pilots or just to supplement them?


Hifly operates the A340, not the A330. Yes, Arik is recruiting on every airplane. See above comments pertaining to 1/3 of the pilot workforce quitting in 2010.

The A330 just got a new fleet manager, who has stated that he will not work with the former acting fleet manager with 5 stripes. Doesn't want him in the fleet at all.

Arik is scheduled to receive a second A330 this fall, and 2 more in 2011/2012. It would be anybody's guess where they might go, how they'll keep crews for it (at the current pay). Or if they'll even show up.

Like most things Arik, it's as irrational as anything else. Five B777 and some B787's are officially on order, also. Since Arik has already been offered the 777's, and turned them down, I'll just speculate that they'll never show up.

[unstable load]

Oba1,

Nigeria does not produce the fuel. Zero production. They only poke holes in the ground for the stuff to squirt out of into ships to be delivered around the world.

What then, of the refineries in PH and Warri? Are they now totally defunct?:confused:

[Oba1kanobe]

Yes, of course that statement isn't entirely accurate. Nigeria does have production, just nowhere near the consumption. Is that better?

[westafricanair]

That ad on Global Aviation Jobs shows Kevin Dudley as COO - didn't he escape months ago?

I believe he left before the MD (JH) and CFO (JR) also bolted!

It also mentions preparation for the IOSA audit, can this be achieved without an MD, DFO & COO?:suspect:

[Vortex Thing]

Re IOSA Arik may be able to pull the wool/bribe the NCAA but they are not going to fool the rest of the world with their startlingly poor management. Not only are they missing the key players required, anyone who had any interest and ability to do the job wrt to getting the manuals , systems and processes in place has given up trying to get VE to see that it has to be done correctly not the "Nigerian way" and have left due mostly to the attitude of VE.

With aircraft being cannibalized and pax increasingly being delayed, pilots disillusioned and services cancelled at no notice Arik will be lucky to still be operating by Xmas. The desperation of bringing in the 4on/4off roster with the pay rises that we have asked for for over 2 years is just too little too late.

Arik have brought this all on themselves by letting men like VE have a hand when he was clearly out of his depth and then rubbing salt in the wounds by promoting the man responsible for the triple decimation of the pilot workforce.

Simply put no one in their right mind wants to be there and those that remain do so only until they get the ink dry on offers with the many other operators out there who actually 1) Want expat pilots and 2) Treat them as a higher lifeform than dingos.

When VE is sitting in his office presiding over the remnants of what could have been a beautiful airline using writs, injunctions and summons as fire material to keep warm maybe then he will rue the day he decided to loose sight of the fact that this may be Nigeria but the world and even his own country is growing up and refuses to be treated like he probably was in his youth.

Pilots these days vote with their feet. RIP Arik RIP

[Oba1kanobe]

International Group Financing Corp. (ILFC) is negotiating with several national and commercial airlines to try and double its footprint in Africa by 2015, including Nigeria.

Vice President at ILFC, Ozzie Chraibi, told Reuters,"We would love to double our exposure in Africa from, I think it's 20 aircraft at the moment, in the next 5 years". The Los Angeles based corporation, with a portfolio of more than 1,000 aircraft, currently leases Boeing and Airbus passenger aircraft in about eight African countries, including the national airline of Africa's biggest economy, South Africa Airways.

More news: The bombing attempt (Xmas last year by a Nigerian national of Delta Airlines) pushed Nigeria into signing an agreement allowing air marshals (from the USA) aboard international flights between the US and Africa's most populous nation, US Ambassador Sanders told reporters Wed.

Two direct flights now leave for Lagos; Delta Air Lines from Atlanta, and Arik Air from New York. Continental Airlines plans to launch new daily non-stop flights between Houston and Lagos late next year.

[unstable load]

Oba1,
I was not nit-picking there, merely curious as the fate of the refineries. When I was last in Nigeria Warri was shut down for refurbishment and I was wondering if they had given up on them or actually gone through with the refurb and restarted production.

[Mr. Smith]

some good news to go along with the not-so-good news.

Arik Air gets US govt?s recognition Vanguard (http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/08/18/arik-air-gets-us-govt%E2%80%99s-recognition/)

Arik Air gets US govt’s recognition
LAGOS—UNITED STATES Government has granted its recognition of Arik Airlines as one of Africa’s leading carriers, crowning it with an invitation to the Chairman, Sir Joseph Arumemi Ikhide, to make a presentation at the just concluded eighth African Growth and Opportunities Act, AGOA, Forum in Washington DC.
Vanguard learnt that Arik Air was invited to the Forum, which held August 2 to 3, 2010, for facilitating trade between the U.S. and Africa, especially in view of the volume of investment it had put into aircraft acquisition, mainly from Boeing Corporation.

Speaking at the Forum, which had in attendance U.S. Trade Representative, Ron Kirk, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, William Fitzgerald; President of United States’ Export_Import (EXIM) Bank, Mr. Fred Hochberg, acknowledged Arik Air’s contributions to the growth of aviation in Africa and trade relations with the U.S.
Hochberg noted that Arik Air had significant trade major with U.S. companies, stressing that the airline had the largest fleet of Boeing aircraft in Africa, and had invested over $4.57 billion in Boeing aircraft acquisition, including orders.
He said the airline had also done $220 million worth of transactions with US EXIM Bank; purchased about $1 million explosive and narcotic trace devices from General Electric, GE; and $3 million screening machines from Rapiscan, among others.
Hochberg particularly referred to the commitment of the airline to develop the air transport sector in West and Central Africa.
Arik Air Chairman, Sir Arumemi Ikhide who was invited to speak on facilitating trade through investment and infrastructure showcased achievements of Arik Air as a model for all of Africa and its strides at making Nigeria a hub for travel to the continent.
In his presentation at the Forum, which also had in attendance ministers of trade and commerce from several African countries, Sir Arumemi_Ikhide, also made allusions to the current and planned fleet acquisition (new orders from Boeing and Airbus), route structure, unique training programme, first class maintenance support from Lufthansa Technik, and plan to build a first class maintenance facility in Africa, OCC.
He also listed the recent AOC re-certification by Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, as part of efforts at attaining United States’ Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, Category 1.

[exeng]

Sir Arumemi_Ikhide, also made allusions to the current and planned fleet acquisition (new orders from Boeing and Airbus), route structure, unique training programme,

Perhaps instead of the word 'allusions' the word 'illusions' would have been more appropriate - just a thought.


Regards
Exeng

[Mr. Smith]

it's so easy to believe negative press about Arik, but when the same newspapers print something positive, it is usually dismissed. Wonder why? :confused::hmm:

[Vortex Thing]

Well they say that the proof is in the pudding.

Have you personally tasted any of Arik's "pudding" lately.

It certainly leaves as pleasant a taste in one's mouth as the Park Lane Sunday afternoon, "Lobster Surprise" where the surprise is that that there is no Lobster in it and that the hybrid dog/grass cutter/rat thing that they have replaced it with is not cooked and spent it's Saturday afternoon being basted in cockroach and ebola jus.

Eeet taste niiiice Sir, you are very welcome :yuk:

[TRey]

Arik had the potential to be the very thing they set out to be. a leading class airline.

in the time there i worked within the system to get stuff done with the limited resources and normal "obstacles". but there were many brilliant people there who fought day in and day out to make happen, the vision of a leading airline. even had that real nice article in Airliners magazine. the sad part is that it really had a chance to become something better than what it is/becoming. many extremely talented people were never given the freedom to get things right for IOSA, NCAA.

what I can tell you is that almost no one complaining on here ever spent a day in fltops working to keep Jepp from pulling the plug or process pilot reports or working on anything. most scoff at you when you were in the office writing manuals or analyzing fuel burns or trying to argue for Flaps 1 data to be used. so just remember that a lot of talented people tried hard to keep things going in a direction forward until management caught up.

Arik could have been great, we were all sold on their ambitions. but when organizations are left to their own devices, interesting downhill trends seem to take over when particular politics are being played.

Capt5 Stripes......he did manage something that no one ever imagined A 5N reg A330 :D . quite a feat giving the challenges faced by him

Tony Williams- that one captain?.....she is a BITCH, good on ya mate!:ok:

yes i worked there!

[Oba1kanobe]

New rotation for the A330, effective now. 15 on / 15 off.

[AF022]

If it is easy for ARIK pilots to find jobs elsewhere, pardon me for being naive but why would ARIK expat pilots stay?

[Oba1kanobe]

If it is easy for ARIK pilots to find jobs elsewhere, pardon me for being naive but why would ARIK expat pilots stay?


Two more expat B737 pilots quit just today. Of course, there are a few who choose to stay. You'd have to ask them why. For others, perhaps they're waiting on class dates at a new company, or some hour acquired benchmark, or any other large number of variables.

Another day of no fuel, and late / cancelled flights at Arik Air.

[ERASER]

I noticed that Arik's A332 (5N-EIA) is standing in JHB for almost a week.....Technical, awaiting spares or payment related????

[Oba1kanobe]

With a grand total of 90 hours, the air starter failed, and dropped bits of metal into the big Pratt fan jet. New engine needed. Airbus reps on site. A flight crew standing by in J-burg. Should be under warranty from Airbus/Pratt.


Today is PAYDAY again. Let the count begin !!!!

Tick,

Tock,

Tick,

Tock,

:yuk:

[TonyWilliams]

Tony Williams- that one captain?.....she is a BITCH, good on ya mate!:ok:


Well, her flying skills just did over $200k damage to a plane. Missed approach at JOS, followed by a too fast landing and heavy brakes. Over temped the right main brake set. That over temped the right main strut assembly (the strut itself is equipped with over temp monitors).

Strut: $125k +++
Brakes: $75k
Downtime: $$$$$$$

In my time at my previous three letter employer, she would be management material. We had a phrase, "Mess up, inhale up". Ok, we really didn't say it that way, but this is a family forum.:p

Enjoy Istanbul brother.

[swagger]

With all that has been said of Arik,would you say it's a better airline than Air Nigeria based on sturcture and pay.Which would you say is the best airline to work with in Nigeria?

[Mr. Smith]

Can someone/everyone please draw the appropriate person at Arik's attention to this:
My Arik Airways Flight Nightmare | Sahara Reporters (http://www.saharareporters.com/article/my-arik-airways-flight-nightmare)

1. This issue must be investigated and the made right by the customer if need be.

2. Their PR department should start a campaign that does not cripple thegood that this company is trying to do.

[Oba1kanobe]

Which would you say is the best airline to work with in Nigeria?

With a steady, slow growth plan, really good loads, economical planes (MD83's), and I would guess from the lack of complaints here, pretty good management, that DANA AIR might be the best.

But, if you have questions about the airline, start a new thread !!!!

[chuks]

There is something wrong with this picture!

This outfit was dodgy from the start so, please, where is the "good" they are trying to do? I just do not see that anywhere. Here we have passengers treated badly, crews going unpaid, bills going unpaid... this should not come as a surprise to anyone who has been following this story from the beginning, back in Rivers State.

[Mr. Smith]

you don't throw the baby out with the bath water.

If you do not see ANY +ve anywhere (even if at the expense of some other area) that Arik has provided then your eyes might be closed. :suspect:

If only Nigeria had U.S style bankruptcy. :E

[sunset_contrails_10]

too fast landing and heavy brakes. Over temped the right main brake set. That over temped the right main strut assembly (the strut itself is equipped with over temp monitors).

Mr. Tony Williams, just curious as to what aircraft that was. This also brings an interesting question that someone may have the answer.

I was taught that you can push as hard as you like on the brake pedals and the anti skid will prevent tire and brake damage. Was the anti-skid inop and this caused the problem?

Is maximum tire speed based on tire blowing out because of overheating brakes or due to runway surface friction or combination of both?

Thanks for any reply.

[Oba1kanobe]

What does Okada, Nigerian Airways, Bellview and Arik Air have in common?

It's the quality service:

Arik Air-A Big Sham by Beni (http://www.pointblanknews.com/Letters/os3578.html)

[TonyWilliams]

I was taught that you can push as hard as you like on the brake pedals and the anti skid will prevent tire and brake damage. Was the anti-skid inop and this caused the problem?


Brakes are designed for a single worst case event. That is probable the rejected take off at V1. And they will get hot. Look at the brake cool down tables after a RTO. This aircraft, a Bombardier CRJ900er, is equipped with BTMS (brake temperature monitoring system) to be used in lieu of

But, lets say you land at a speed greater than Vref, and slam on the brakes immediately... maybe a panic stop after landing long / fast ? If the anti-skid had failed, the tires would blow from lack of rotation, and the brakes would be fine, since the wheel would not be rotating the brake discs to generate heat.

But, if the anti-skid is working, as it did here, then the brakes will produce maximum heat energy to stop the plane. Of course, the brake heat build up can destroy the tires and pop the lead plugs in the wheels (neither of these happened).

[chuks]

What do you mean by that pearl of wisdom, Mr Smith, not throwing the baby out with the bath water? We should separate our refuse nowadays: babies go in the bin, bathwater down the drain? Was that what my wife was shouting me for the other day?

Or is it that you are some optimist, always giving poor old Arik the benefit of the doubt? What do you put their miserable performance down to then, bad ju-ju? To me and probably a few others Arik looked like such an obvious scam from Day One. Okay, as long as the Big Men still had friends in high places then it was going to continue but as a normal airline? Where is the "good" they have done, if you please? Okay, some guys got some work out of this but long-term it looks like just another, sadly typical, Nigerian embarrassment, guys who couldn't run a whelk stall on the up-and-up starting an airline and one meant to be THE national airline at that!

[Mr. Smith]

The bigger issue is not with Arik but the govt. agencies. Arik is operating within what is allowed by the govt. If the govt agencies were actually up to task, you'd realize a heavy fine would not only teach Arik and others a lesson but also preserve jobs, would prevent the raping of travelers to and from Nigeria by foreign carriers, untold hardship when travelling domestically etc. Accept or not, Arik as bad as it is is many moons better/preferable than Belleview, Sosoliso, and others that were even less of a nationwide airline, but everyone keeps screaming for Arik's demise.

You talk of Arik as the typical Nigerian embarassment. You'd be suprised how many airlines in places like U.S would have long ceased existence if it weren't for their bankruptcy laws that allow them eliminate debt and "start over". Perpetuating the same bad business practices that got them in trouble. As with Nigeria, they operate within what the agencies/laws allow.

Instead of asking for destruction of business and enterprises, people should be clamoring/demanding for tougher laws and enforcement, from the govt. that's what happens most other parts of the world.

[chuks]

You cannot have it both ways, saying that Arik does "good" but also expecting the Nigerian government to crack down on them when they do bad!

The whole point of raking up this muck about the shady background to Arik is, arguably, to say that under proper regulation they never would have been allowed to start up in the first place due to unfitness. Never mind, off they went to general applause and high hopes, just a few cynics grumbling about what was going to happen. Well, now it's happening and it's going to happen again and again unless EFCC is given a free hand and some support.

That the regulators allow this... that is one thing. What of people who choose to ignore reality, though? They aren't being bribed with money, just with false hopes. Perhaps they should pay more attention to the rare segment of the press which tries to point out the awkward truth behind such amazing things as Arik, the Ikot-Abasi aluminium plant, why Nigerian refineries are in a state of collapse and a few other things as well.

Last night I met a fellow who had been in Lagos back in the early Eighties, working on plans for the Underground. He laughed and said his French company was paid a billion (francs, dollars, whatever) and nothing got done in the end. I asked him how much of that money went for "commissions" and then we both had such a good laugh. Meanwhile, how is Lagos traffic these days?

People seem to think being led around by the nose is some sort of patriotic duty. Perhaps they should take a cue from the sort of wahallah these Tea Party people are making in America and try something similar, see what happens.

[Oba1kanobe]

While you guys are arguing "Good Arik / Bad Arik" from your comfortable arm chairs with a spot of tea in a first world country, Arik was shut down (again) today. This time, every domestic flight. All day. All grounded.

Five flights did depart Nigerian airspace for international destinations... 101 London, 105 Lagos / Abuja/London (apparently, 105 never departed Abuja for London), 071/075 Accra, 077 Dakar. It is thought that the J-burg flight will also operate tonight. New York and Monrovia are not scheduled for today.

All five of the flights that did depart were 6 to 10 hours late. About 100+ flights didn't go at all. Even if the government hadn't shut them down, the fuel payment situation would have made everything late, and many cancellations. The good news... with a reduced flight schedule, they don't have to cancel as many flights for lack of crew!!

I'm not sure how much longer this can go on. This was the month that salaries for pilots would be on time. After calling London today, pilots were told maybe on the 11th.

But, more bad news. The A330 is probably out of commission for 3 months. Apparently, whatever kind of warranty / lease / repair contract that normal airlines do with expensive turbofans, Arik elected not to. So, they will eat the whole expense. And, rather than pay for another Pratt to hang on there, and be flying in a week, they've decided on another plan which is so stupid, I can't bring myself to try and explain it here.

There are about 30 Airbus pilots on salary, sitting at home. Let's say they average $7500 per month in cost to the company (I'm sure it's higher than that); $225,000 per month, times three months.... $675,000+ just in salaries, with no income generated. Rent on the plane at about $20,000 PER DAY; About $1.8 million in lost rent for no revenue received. Dozens of cabin crew... $500,000 for 90 days? About $3 million total, PLUS Insurance, parking fees... AND THEN THE COST OF REPAIRS!!

$1 million... $2 million more? I didn't factor in "soft" expenses like 3 months of dead time on currency, so about half the cost of 6 month recurrent. More big numbers.

This, my dear colleagues, is a sinking ship. I have no idea if the planes will operate tomorrow. Or the next day. They can always do what they do best... buy another airplane with somebody else's money.

[Mr. Maximus]

Anyone know who shut Arik down today? Vendors, NAMA, NCAA..........?

[NaijaNinja]

He gave out the names of carriers that have complied to include: Air Nigeria, Dana Air, and Carveton Helicopters, adding that others like Aero and IRS, after visiting the agency, were being issued invoices to come forward and make payments.

“Arik hasn’t come to see us and we are waiting for them to make payments. They (Arik) are one of our biggest debtors and we will not go back on withdrawing our services if these airlines fail to pay,” he said.

Commenting on the issue, Supo Atobatele, General Manager Public Affairs for the agency said that the funds are necessary to ensure the sustenance of the Category One status just attained by our country.

This is an excerpt from the article titled above, to read the full article, click below:
Airspace agency to withdraw services from debtor airlines today (http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5613508-146/airspace_agency_to_withdraw_services_from.csp)

[Mr. Maximus]

Thanks - appreciate the info.

[Gidigba]

This link says an official statement from Arik says he would not pay NAMA because of a case in court since 2002,Can this be real?Can anyone confirm this assertion as reported by The Tribune?check out this link:O:uhoh:

http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/news/10509-passengers-stranded-at-lagos-airport-as-nama-enforces-pay (http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/news/10509-passengers-stranded-at-lagos-airport-as-nama-enforces-pay-as-you-go-policy-on-airlines)

[westafricanair]

Arik wasn't even founded until 2006 - how is this connected?

According to the website normal ops today, is this true?

VK have put on extra flights on LOSPHC, this all reminds me of 2007 and the events leading up to VK's eviction from MMIA. I see AJ are thinking of moving to GAT as MM2 is too expensive, isn't there an outstanding court case from BiCourtney to shut that down as well, AJ's move may bring the issue to a head...

What goes around comes around - especially in Nigeria when your political protection disappears.

[Oba1kanobe]

"For fear of disappointing its passengers on the London route, the airline, however, succumbed to NAMA’s pay-as-you-go policy as the airline was said to have rushed to pay $25,000.00 from its accumulated debts running into over $1.5 million."


Didn't Arik employees get a letter from Lydia / Dr. M that proclaimed that they absolutely did not owe the huge amounts of money claimed, and that they were "going to sue" !!!!???

It was all a vicious rumour spread by pilots.

[Oba1kanobe]

Guys, from the grapevine, i gather that he's waiting for the $700,000 he's charged the Nigerian Government to fly the soccer team into South Africa for this World Cup thingy.

I heard that still hasn't been paid.

[Evanelpus]

Guys, from the grapevine, i gather that he's waiting for the $700,000 he's charged the Nigerian Government to fly the soccer team into South Africa for this World Cup thingy.

I heard that still hasn't been paid.

Now there's a surprise!

[Mr. Smith]

This is truly reminiscent of the what went down with VK not too long ago. Nigeria could easily have had two large carriers that in many ways would keep each other honest.

Is GAT big enough to accomodate not just Arik (who it is is already too small for) but Aero as well?

[Vortex Thing]

Seriously though, poor Arik I feel most for our illustrious acting DFO Victor E and really hope he is having a good day sorting out their problems that have just been heaped on him and he had no part at all in creating.

RIP Arik. RIP

P.S. Any FO who wants short notice interview at Garuda Indonesia PM me as I have colleagues out here who have cancelled at short notice (accepted other offers) and they want guys who can start in two weeks time. $5200 per month, 12 wks on, 2 off, Biz class flight out and back. Serviced apartment, transport to from work. 1 yr contract initially. Good luck fellow Arik guys

[5N-OSA]

I read they coughed out N50m for todays ops. http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2010/09/02/arik-loses-n180m-in-one-day-pays-n50m-to-nama/
I don't know if it is the money or dedicated staff keeping the company until now. Looks like chaos and mis-management will ruin the company and not lack of funds.

[Oba1kanobe]

Seriously though, poor Arik I feel most for our illustrious acting DFO Victor E and really hope he is having a good day sorting out their problems that have just been heaped on him and he had no part at all in creating.


V.E. is back in the home land on rotation and doing sims there. He's missing all the fireworks.

Another crazy day of flying at Arik. They hadn't paid for flight planning either. Pilots rostered for one of the sims were cancelled due to no payment. Getting fuel, if available, can take hours. Airplanes / crews all out of position. Crews timing out... not necessarily from flying, but waiting for fuel. Everything is hanging on, hour by hour.

Why on God's earth would these passengers come back at all? Extremely late or cancelled is the best Arik can do.

[peeeyejo]

Still no payday yet? What are the new DFOs & the new CP doing about this?

[BALEWA]

"Still no payday yet? What are the new DFOs & the new CP doing about this?"

What can they do!!! They are not incharge of paying us :rolleyes:

Definition and Designation.
DFO (Director of flight Operations)
CP (Chief Pilot)