Aero Contractors pay

[exeng]

Just heard a rumour that Aero Pilot pay is to be cut by about 20%. Any truth in this?


Regards
Exeng

[seper]

it was long for-told,it was inevitable,sigh!!!

I seriously doubt its a rumour.

Does it solve the problem,or delay.............

ACN needs help urgently,as with almost all the carriers.

Once one airline cuts pay......................

[atedo]

Does it solve the problem,or delay.............

?????????????????????????????????????
Aero need to correct a lot of anomalies; they are just digging a big grave.

Passengers are suffering on very long queue and at the end they are denied check in, check in staff abuse passengers at will....ACN now has turned aviation terminals to a maza maza motor park:ugh:

The industry have lost its' dignity through ACN inactivities................:=

[seper]

Atedo


A long queue and been treated like ****,is a serious indictment on the competition.What do you think??????? If you had better options why swallow ****,and pls dont tell me low fares,as thats a load of b....it.AERO fares are quite expensive,and the "low fares" are very lowly spread,hence difficult to get,besides AERO has historically treated pax like s...it.


My comments dig quite deeper than the happenings at the check in counter,which is extremely myopic in analyzing the problem an airline is facing.

Besides no one dispatches as much flights simultaneously at MM2 as aero does,so it only follows that queues will occur.



Imagine Arik in MM2,would you expect a short speedy queue?

Salary cut threats/rumours are abound everywhere,if one pulls it off,the others may consider.As it stands am already underpaid!

[NaijaNinja]

Exeng, i've just heard about the planned cuts although differing figures, slightly less (15%) and based on annual earnings. I also heard its not been well received and a huge storm is therefore brewing. That's for the locals, i hear expats should expect up to 30% slash with a review of their rotations. Blimey!

Like Atedo&Seper said, its not a solution to the company's perceived problems, bear in mind, we don't all know the full details of these problems. Companies will lie to staff to get sympathy but once the staff give in, they will keep coming back for more; whereas the owners are continously retrieving their capital. Signs of a sinking seacraft, me thinks!

Sources reveal that Aero owes up to $280m & now 100% owned by the Nigerian shareholders, CHC sold its holdings for a nominal $1.00. Yes, they were issued a receipt and are now only waiting for their Technical Service Agreement to run out before withdrawing any links with Aero.

Personally, there's nothing wrong with having low fares, i believe you need a lot of fundamental issues to be in correct order before reaping the benefits of a low-fare operation. Without knowing too much, its clear from what has been written on this thread that SOME or ALL of these fundamental issues are severely lacking. Maybe Aero is sinking afterall.

All these came to me this morning, so anyone with news or inside info should tell us all more. Did i say a storm is coming overheard the Orange house? Maybe its Hurricane Alex!

[dynamicd]

My june Salary was paid fully on the 28th:ok:

[NaijaNinja]

Dynamic, i guess some of the things i heard were probably incorrect.

If you got paid on time, i was told it came late! Better late than never, i guess.

[onefatpilot]

I hear Aero may be losing their Chevron contract later this year.....what does that mean for its Dash 8 fleet and crew:ugh:...it would seem that it is slowly grinding to a halt.....with Arik and Air Nigeria also looking rocky this can spell disaster for the entire Nigerian aviation sector:{

[Gidigba]

When people that have no stake in aviation begin to run it,with the collusion of fellow professional fools who have nothing but their selfish selves over and above all,that is what you get,-Conflagration,implosion and everything begins to seem to grind to a halt A'la Aero;Look back into the not too distant past,when a presently singing canary Wannabe pilot held fort and helped to steal Aviation blind was recuited by fellow thieves to run Aero,First he also recruited fellow travellers who assisted him in stealing Aero Blind with the active participation of its perceived owners,junk planes were purchased at new plane rates,Consultants were drafted to further get rid of the Oil and Gas contracts,so as to pass it on to TBrass,Aero was systematically been brought on its knees so as to be replaced by TBrass but for the fear of EFCC,this deal would have been a reality by now,Disunity in the Ibru family is presently responsible for Aeros plight becos Aalmighty Madame and her semi literate cleptomanic son have still to KILL Aero dead to impoverish her husbands children whom we thought were her Family.another clown has been appointed to finsh the job,Cut thier salaries,treat them like **** and they will all strike and go home;we shall then buy Aero for $1 and change its name and place to SkyLimit TopBrass;Selfish people are toying with the lives of thousands of people,Whether they will GetAway with it is another Matter,This is not a Threat,But we are watching and this is our own Lagos Nigeria,The beat goes on :suspect::suspect::suspect:

[seper]

on time salaries or the lack of it,can be misleading in determining financial stability.

Check third party contractors,are they getting paid when due?
VK/AERO are thru with checks,and almost all aircraft are back,or on its way back.its ARIKS turn,thats when the s...t usually hits the fan,e.g chachangi,bellview e.t.c

[NaijaNinja]

Gidigba, thanks for the insight, so i guess what i heard about the $1 deal has some elements of truth. If its true, that's sad.

Forgot to add this in my previous post, heard the company's MD is on 6m naira each month and i guess as usual with all these companies, they are paying all his expenses. Is this the same guy who wants to slash pay?

I hear they are losing rotor contracts like there's no need for them & they are been teased with a small share of the new shell contract with the smaller local company.

Looks like a rudderless ship!

[onefatpilot]

I was wondering when the subject of Tbrass would rear its head:mad:. Is it inevitable or will aero live to fight another day?:sad: Anything is possible in Nigeria.....

[Gidigba]

From da grapevine da EFCC will soon move in on da management of Aero,based on Petitions currently circulating dat the management wants to use illegal tactics to wind up business by giving da impression that da company is not making money which is contrary to the account books,The reason being Oga Madam and her Clept son have been found to have dipped thier hands into da Aero honey pot and da cat will soon be let out of da bag,Tha present MD is seriously trying to cover up for this hence his diehard rationalistion script.Problem is whatever gains expected to accrue from these actions will amount to a drop in da ocean considering da amount of Millodollars involved,Madam and management want to Steal whatever is left as Aero is da last CashCow and wind it up,as Oceanic and all other assets are presently on Hold.As Oceanic Bank will soon be sold to da highest bidder and Aero is heavily indebted to it,Ownership of Aero automatically goes to da new owner;Hence da mad rush to Steal da company Blind Cut and RUN,Thats da brief of the AngloBangladeshi MD,So guys Open ya Eyes,You got a vibrant Union(NAAPE) USE it. Notice also,da so called MD and his Illeterate HR are already using Gutter Tactics,A'la Redundancy without any rapport with da pilot and Engineer union.This is just a Starter,Da rest will soon come to Fruition .Be Warned and Guided:=:O:{:uhoh::mad:

[eagleflier]

Oga Gidigba,
Please enlighten uson how the rot in Aero is linked to Top Brass.
Cant wait

[Gidigba]

@Eagleflier,In due course da cat will fly out of da bag like da TB singing Boss at da Abuja courts/Corruption Tribunals,In due course we shall be served:p :E

[seper]

GIDIGBA


Your allegations,and calculations are considerably off course,note most of the contracts AERO has lost or is rumoured to be loosing has gone/is going where?...........investigate thoroughly and report back.(rotary and fixed)

EFCC has been through TB with a tooth comb,from what i know,and none of the charges RI is facing are TB or AERO linked,they are all NAMA related.

These "junk" airplanes are they the ones flying with NCAAA airworthiness certfificate?

How much where the aircraft purchased for?lets work with Facts.

Theres a lot of passion/emotion emanating from AEROS situation,people have dedicated their whole working life to AERO,and its painful to see it all washed up.However one needs to be focused,working with facts and not emotion laden "gist".

Something went wrong somewhere,but i believe everyones barking up the wrong tree for the root cause.

[onefatpilot]

Nigeria’s major airline, Aero Contractors announced yesterday that it has reached agreement to restructure its loans of about N33 billion ($220 million) with Oceanic Bank on “more viable terms” for the benefit of the two organisations and has also ceded its ownership to be wholly owned by the Ibru Group.

Before now, Canada Helicopters Company (CHC) owned 40 per cent stake in Aero, but according to a statement from the airline, the Ibrus now own the airline 100 per cent.

The statement also said that CHC will continue its technical relationship with Aero and maintain its aircraft both in scheduled passenger operations and rotary operations, which service the nation’s oil industry.

“Aero has consolidated and restructured all of its loans with Oceanic Bank on more viable terms and conditions that both parties deemed to be in their best commercial interests. Aero and CHC Helicopter Corporation (“CHC”) recently executed a series of 10-year agreements covering everything from helicopter leasing via personnel services to maintenance, repair and overhaul,” the statement said.
It noted that the restructuring would enable Aero to focus on its core business of delivering superior service to its customers.
“In addition, Aero now has a stable and sustainable platform from which it will grow its already successful Scheduled and Chartered Services businesses.”

Aero said that over the last eight months it has also launched a new business model in its scheduled services side that focuses on innovative use of technology to improve customer experience.
“As a result, Aero has now become the first e-airline in Nigeria, pioneering online bookings, payments, and check-in in the West African market. Aero is committed to building on these achievements through innovation, transparency and an unrelenting focus on its customers.”

Shaf Syed, Managing Director of Aero also said: “We are excited with these developments that allow us to focus on our future growth and expansion. I would especially like to thank all of our customers for their continued loyalty, and CHC, Oceanic Bank and the aviation regulatory bodies for their patience and support. Last but not least, I want to extend heartfelt thanks to our great compliment of staff that have made all this possible through their hard work and dedication. With this restructuring, we are confident that Aero will be able to further enhance the reliable service for which our illustrious brand ultimately stands for.”

Captain Akin George, Head of Flight Operations said in the statement, “Aero’s 50-year history as the first, the leading, and now 100% owned Nigerian Aviation Company, carries with it a lot of responsibility and the humble obligation to remain loyal servants to the meaningful development of the Nigerian aviation industry, its stakeholders and the Nigerian economy at large.

George assured that Aero would achieve this by judicious use of its infrastructure, described as second to none, and the continuing stringent application of industry-leading safety standards.

“We are extremely confident that we are the best positioned company in Nigeria to deliver on charter contracts and to provide reliable scheduled services to the Nigerian flying public.”

Few months ago Aero’s operations were threatened as it disagreed with Oceanic Bank over the aforementioned debts but for the intervention of the Minister of Aviation, Mrs. Fidelia Njeze and other stakeholders the airline would have stopped operation.
The propeller operations of the company briefly stopped its services as CHC was deprived of needed funds but resumed after some kind of agreement was reached
With this restructuring the more than 1,200 workers of Aero whose jobs were threatened and were anxious about their future would now sleep easy.

[glideslopealive]

Great to hear that Aero has restructured its debt servicing obligation with her banker thereby remaining a key player in the airline business. One of the numerous problems that brought this pioneer airline to its knee recently, was the issue of alledged inflation of the cost of acquisation and subsequent leasing of her B737s. Why the EFCC/ICPC has not pressed charges against the individuals behind this transaction is what i don't know. I know that a renowned family owns or substantially owns both Aero and her banker (Oceanic bank). Prosecution of corruption cases should not be limited to public/goverment sector. The private sector should also be held accountable even if you own the business

[onefatpilot]

Eighty-seven passengers and five crew members escaped death yesterday when a Boeing 737-500 aircraft belonging to Aero Contractors faltered while attempting to land at the Jos Airport.
The aircraft, with registration number: 5N BLE, which was on a scheduled flight service from Lagos to Jos, skidded off the runway while landing due to wet surface. But the aircraft lost its two nose wheels in the process, while the passengers were evacuated immediately.
Confirming the incident, the airline’s spokesman, Mr. Deba Uwadiae, said in a statement last night that: “Aero aircraft, a Boeing 737-500 with registration number 5N-BLE on a scheduled flight from Lagos to the Jos Airport on Saturday August 21,2010 had its two nose tyres punctured on landing on the runway at about 6pm.
“This led to handling difficulties by the pilot who, however, controlled the aircraft safely without any damage. All the passengers on board were safely disembarked from the aircraft.
“The Head of Flight Operations, Captain Akin George, said that ‘Aero has promptly dispatched engineers to the airport to fix the tyres while it awaits officials of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA to inspect the aircraft before returning it to flight’,” he said.
Uwadiae also said that there were no issues on the air worthiness of the plane as “The Boeing 737-500 aircraft recently returned from a C-Check abroad.”
Commenting on the accident, Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr. Harold Demuren, said the aircraft faltered while about to land because of low-level wind shear and overshot the runway, as its left landing gear stuck in the mud, losing a tyre in the process.
“Aero aircraft encountered a low-level wind shear, which led the left side tyre to go into flame and the aircraft to over-shoot the runway. There was no casualty.”
Demuren said everything was under control as all concerned aviation agency officials were on hand to assess the incident.
According to eye witness account, it was difficult for the aircraft to land and when it did it nearly caught fire but firemen were on hand to put it off. Since the aircraft landed, all the passengers and airport officials did not leave the scene of incident and the passengers were yet to disembark from the aircraft.
General Manager, Public Affairs of FAAN, Akin Olukunle, also confirmed the incident and referred newsmen to NCAA for the details of the near crash.

[BALEWA]

Looks like the Jet Drivers in Aero want out. Quite a few of them attending interviews over on our side.. hmmmmm is it for the taste of the B737NG or they just want out...

Gather the Pay over at the 50yr old Orange company is quite poor if your not a Captain and they are about to get their Pay cuts... :*

Also rumour has it that crew rostering and work ethics have been thrown out the window by management as compared to its uhm hum good old flying style.

How times change, so sad for a company that once kept the standards of our industry at such high and enviable levels...

Aero...:ouch:

[Gidigba]

A company can only be as good as its management,Look at the quality of its existing leadership from the entire ops/semi literate admin representation and you can judge for yourself.Bozos have taken over ;management now works in concert with an agent provocateur masquerading as NAAPE chairman and together they will finally send the company spiralling downhill,Aero is going the way of Former VN,Human Resources have hijacked the running of all facets of the company including Ops,I will advice all jetdrivers to start to look outwards<Arik/AirNigeria might be better options,I see a good number of the lads are already beating the gun to take the place of escapee expats in Arik,BOZOs who cannot even manage their own lives are Incharge now in ERRORCONT,:{:rolleyes::p

[BALEWA]

Just confirmed the rumours this morning. Got a sneak preview of list of Jet Drivers scheduled for Sim, littered with Guys from the Orange coloured company for slots when available.

Looks like they are already onboard.....:E

Is it that bad Gidigba, whats the issue with the Union and why this exodus buddie...:ugh:

[Gidigba]

@Balewa,Firstly Aero has a management that is intent on cutting pilot and engineers pay at all cost,a bunch of clowns who would not look at other visible and sensible ways of reducing the bills,guys who have been promised raises by the owners to just cut pay while they buy flight tickets from their personally owned travel agencies at prices that would make you faint and a host of other crap?,A management that will not attend vital meetings with its clients and lose juicy contracts to competition that do not even have the reqd eqpt and scandalously accept 3rd party contracts from the same competition?The list is endless,Aero was known to follow the best practices once upon a time but all that is now history,You have a mgt that is acting Lets wind this company down quickly script,The worst part is this is with the active participation of some of the NAAPE executive who are it seems, compromised by mgt.The **** is now endless,So the best and smartest thing to do will be to jump ship earliest,It does not make sense to hang in there anymore with morale at its lowest ebb,safety just mouthed and crew overworked like mad and the obvious result is the near catastrophy at Jos;very capable guys caught in the Fatigue web,Expect a lot more guys at your end soonest,I'd rather be alive than tired and dead with a disgruntled team of engineers working on my plane.We go yarn soon Takia,Just heard the pilots have cut down the number of days they work per week,cut in pay,cut in productivity..........:{:E:eek:

[ZAZOO]

I have tried very hard to keep my opinion and thoughts concerning this whole issue away from Pprune, but Alas I am overwhelmed.

But then I keep asking myself what is the Right thing to do. What?

Zazoo :sad:

[onefatpilot]

So...... any truth that a paycut has already been implemented?:rolleyes:

[dynamicd]

The pay cut for expats has been implemented already.Local pilots got full pay for august, but it came in very late i.e 6th september.The reduced pay for locals will start from this months salary.

[NaijaNinja]

Dynamic, my Brethren at the orange lady told me they won't be accepting the paycut, maybe he doesn't know what you know! Time will tell.

[Gidigba]

An orange ladybird bird just confirmed the pay cut saga is not over,correspondence reaching the orange crowd is that the paycut will last 6months and this is stated on paper,trouble is will this crop of managers be incharge in Feb11?also we hear the management is presently looking to recruit sharp lawyers to face the unions should the need arise,the postion of legal adviser was published aside the pay cut letter my sources claim here we go again musical chairs,A company not willing to change its unprofitable ways but intent on ruffling feathers to satisfy their cleptomanic owners,be that as it may I wish the management and unions luck:{:rolleyes::eek::(

[BALEWA]

Gidigba I thought you guys were not going to accept the cut no matter what!!!

Heard your Union has given management 72hrs to refund the cut percentage. I was gutted when I heard the news concerning the Aero paycut from some of my colleagues at Aero. You guys should decide and take action ASAP.

From my experience in this industry and at the rate they are going they must have a long list of other demands and cuts still to come so you guys got to stop them now before its too late. Aero has no bizness going this direction at all...Haba now...Aerocontractors of Nigeria :=

It would also be wise to get the MD packing, that guy looks like someone that has no clue about this business, would like to know what his background is in this industry before coming to Aero. Actually he should take the commercial and Rotary manager along, from what I gather they are also helping themselves handsomely out off your company's coffers while executing Madams big boys directives. :*

Stand up and Fight Aero.......Fight

[Gidigba]

@Balewa.nice one,I guess the fight is on,A lot of goons need to go with these clueless guys,The exercise was carried out without recourse to the union,It was by fiat, claiming acceptance by faceless union members without any proof on paper,By Gosh,Fight we will,no doubt in my mind whatsoever,the culprits shall surely pay for their actions,Lets watch and see how it unfolds the battleline has defintely been drawn and we shall see who bleeds last;Not funny 'eish

[linguskaptan]

You imply that the Ex-pats are thieves. After working in Lagos for 3 years it is plain to see that without Ex-pats you wouldn't have any airlines in Nigeria.
It is evident to see that locals are incapable of any form of organisation...

[ZAZOO]

Linguskaptan, you came to this conclusion after 3yrs in Nigeria..!

And where did anyone call Expatriates thieves on this thread.. Which Airline have Expatriates ran succesfully in Nigeria and how much did they invest in that Airline.

Once again I find myself getting bored reading some of the post on pprune..

Anyone with new info on Aero please..

[dynamicd]

ZAZOO.Ignore the lilu whatevers post on expats!

There might soon be an exodus of chevron qualified first officers from the DHC-8 fleet.Apparently topbrass has offered some of the guys a very good package to fly their Dhc-8s expected at month end.Chevron has broken Aeros monoply of the los-esc-wri shuttle (the most lucrative fixed wing aviation flights).

Rumor has it that topbrass will start on the contract first week of december.

From what I have heard unless aero is willing to make drastic changes in pay,working conditions etc,the Aero dash 8 operation might be grounded due to shortage of crew.

Aero management! wake up!!!

[5N Pilot]

Just a quick question, does top brass have an AOC yet?

[seper]

5N Pilot,a big NO to your question.

They are still processing their AOC.It is also noteworthy that Arik is looking for Q300 for the same chevron contract.

It aint over until the fat lady sings.

For those DASH8 drivers proceed with extreme caution with Topbrass,they have serious cash flow issues.

[westafricanair]

[QUOTE] It is also noteworthy that Arik is looking for Q300 for the same chevron contract.

Perhaps Arik shouldn't have been so keen to put Denim Air out of business and kept the Q300's operational?

Big trouble would be if VK are 'invited' to tender as they seem to be the only one's with the financial clout to get new metal in...

[ZAZOO]

I know about the exodus to TopBrass as it concerns the Dash 8 crews from Aero, I was also invited by the Top and offered a post on their Executive jet months back. This exodus has been expected.

Concerning the issue of AOC, well the fact is they have been operating for a couple of months now and I gather have an AOC from another firm which they are using until theirs is ready.

I believe if Topbrass do encounter any problems it wont be with regards to not having an AOC.
And with the current situations of things in TopBrass I believe those guys are here to stay. The current situation in Aero has nothing to do with TopBrass, I believe Aero knows what the problem is and should tackle it. Lets stop putting the blame on others and lets take a good look at what were doing here at the Orange Airline.

[Gidigba]

And the Beat goes On :{