newswatcher
8th Oct 2002, 13:31
From the UAE "Gulf News":
"A Nigerian plane has been grounded for almost a week in Dubai because of technical problems, officials told AFP on Tuesday. The Boeing 747 belonging to ailing national carrier Nigeria Airways left Lagos for Dubai last Wednesday and was due back the following day but could not do so because of technical problems, they said.
"We were not able to raise money to carry out the necessary repairs and we have been grounded in Dubai since then," an operation official told AFP here. He said efforts were being made to raise fund to effect the repairs so that the aircraft can resume operations. The plane is the only one on the lucrative Lagos-Dubai route operated by the cash-strapped national carrier, he said.
He said even after the repairs, the plane may enter into another trouble because of a 3.89 million euros debts. He said the debtors, ASECNA has already obtained a court injunction to confiscate the aircraft unless Nigeria Airways pays at least 1.5 million euros of the debts.
Nigeria Airways has for long been ridden with corruption and mismanagement, losing most of its international routes. The airline which had more than 20 functional planes in the 1980s, now has three planes for domestic and regional flights. The troubled airline is already being prepared for privatisation by the government to enhance efficiency and profitability."
"A Nigerian plane has been grounded for almost a week in Dubai because of technical problems, officials told AFP on Tuesday. The Boeing 747 belonging to ailing national carrier Nigeria Airways left Lagos for Dubai last Wednesday and was due back the following day but could not do so because of technical problems, they said.
"We were not able to raise money to carry out the necessary repairs and we have been grounded in Dubai since then," an operation official told AFP here. He said efforts were being made to raise fund to effect the repairs so that the aircraft can resume operations. The plane is the only one on the lucrative Lagos-Dubai route operated by the cash-strapped national carrier, he said.
He said even after the repairs, the plane may enter into another trouble because of a 3.89 million euros debts. He said the debtors, ASECNA has already obtained a court injunction to confiscate the aircraft unless Nigeria Airways pays at least 1.5 million euros of the debts.
Nigeria Airways has for long been ridden with corruption and mismanagement, losing most of its international routes. The airline which had more than 20 functional planes in the 1980s, now has three planes for domestic and regional flights. The troubled airline is already being prepared for privatisation by the government to enhance efficiency and profitability."