The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has debunked a report published by Business Day that 13 Nigerian Airlines have been blacklisted for contract breaches, and also a follow up story on its website on the subject on July 17.
This was contained in a statement by the spokesperson of AON, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo on Thursday.
According to AON, the umbrella body for indigenous airlines, the first report claimed that 13 airlines, including Aero Contractors, Air Peace, Arik, Azman, Dana, Green Africa, Ibom Air, Max Air, United Nigeria Airline, and Valuejet, were blacklisted for refusing to pay lessor fees.
The second report, it said, claimed that airline operators denied owing lessors even when the newspaper did not officially speak with the managements of the airlines it listed in its earlier report.
The statement partly read: “For the avoidance of doubt, we categorically state that the first report is entirely false, malicious and defamatory.
“The second report is even worse as the newspaper, instead of doing the honourable thing required of it for publishing falsehood- that is retraction- it started concocting information to justify a fake news.
“We want to state that Nigerian airlines have consistently worked very hard to meet their contractual obligations with lessors despite operating within a challenging business environment.
“It is also a well-known fact that the Minister for Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, since assuming office, acknowledged the challenges domestic operators face and has made concerted efforts to create an enabling environment for us to operate”.
The body noted that contrary to the reports, Air Peace and Azman Air have themselves been victims of fraud by lessors, incurring losses exceeding $3 million.
It highlighted that despite these setbacks, domestic airlines have remained committed to serving the Nigerian public and contributing to national economic development.
The AON has demanded a retraction of the report and an apology by Business Day.
It pointed out that in the absence of a satisfactory response, the body may be forced to file a complaint and take legal action against the newspaper.
“We find the publication of such inaccuracies very disheartening. We see it as a calculated attempt to erode confidence and to destroy the aviation industry.
“We demand an immediate retraction of the report and apology by Businessday with the same prominence given to the inaccurate cover stories.
“In the absence of a satisfactory response, we may be forced to file a complaint with relevant media oversight bodies, take legal action or both to protect our reputation”, the statement added.
