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National carrier not a threat – Arik CEO

By BusinessNews Staff on December 22, 2013

As the Federal Government’s plan to merge Aero and Air Nigeria to become Nigeria’s new national carrier; Nigerian Eagle continues to generate controversy among stakeholders, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Arik Air, Dr Michael Arumemi-Ikhide, has said that he is not in any way bothered by the plan to transform two carriers into a national carrier.

He also said Arik Air is ready to take up the challenge of becoming a national carrier if given the opportunity by the Federal Government.

The Arik Group Managing Director said this during a chat with journalists at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos shortly after the airline unveiled a CRJ 1000, a next generation aircraft.

Arumemi-Ikhide said that he is not bothered at all because his philosophy has always been to focus on his strength and ensuring that his product and performance are the best in the industry, adding, that at the end of the day, it is the passengers that decide the airline that they would fly.

In as much as he recognises the importance of competition when there are many airlines for air travellers to choose from, the Arik boss, however, pointed out that the Nigerian market is very huge and that access to airlines is less than 10 per cent.

Arumemi-Ikhide stressed that he is not bothered provided the proposed national carrier is for the benefit and economic development of Nigeria.

He, however, advised that the proposed national carrier must not only be managed in line with international standards, but that it must also be safe and reliable to forestall a repeat of those years when there were several crashes in the nation’s aviation industry.

According to him, “It is important to recognise competition but my philosophy has always been this; if I focus on my strength, if I focus on my capability, if I focus on ensuring that my product and performance is the best that it can be, then, I believe it is the passengers that will dictate their choice and who should succeed. To answer your question; am I worried? I am not worried. At the end of the day, it is for the benefit of this country. I mean we are a country of 160 million people. The market size here is phenomenon. Market penetration in terms of access to airlines is less than 10 per cent. So for the good of our people, we at Arik feel good if it means more travellers, if it means more economic development, if it mean happier Nigeria, if it means a more prosperous nation all well and good but let it be the best.”

“Let it be for the benefit of the customers and these airlines must be; one of higher standards. Two, reliable and safe; let us not have a retreat of the accidents that we had several years ago with the demise of former national carrier; Nigeria Airways that put lives at risk. Let us not do that. Let it be run on international standards and principles and let it be safe” he advised.

On how prepared Arik Air is to take up the challenge of becoming a nation carrier if given opportunity by the Federal Government, Arumemi-Ikhide said that the airline is ready at any time to take up the challenge if given the opportunity.

[Daily Independent]

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