Report indicates positive trend for AMCON managed Arik Air

…airline ferried over 2 million, operates 10, 699 flights in 2024

A report by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has showed that Arik Air, currently under the receivership of Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) since 2017, airlifted 2,239,176 passengers between January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024, a development stakeholders described as positive for the airline and the industry.

The data revealed that despite its challenges, Arik Air emerged the second most active airline in terms of passenger traffic and flight operations in the country with 10,699 flights within the year under review after Air Peace.

The report also showed that the total number of air travellers on the domestic scene in 2024 was 11, 549,443 with inbound at 5,727,700 and outbound passengers at 5,821,743 while the airline captured 19.3 per cent of the total passenger traffic and also had 15.1 per cent of the total 70,543 flights operated by the 15 domestic airlines.

The Executive Summary on International and Domestic Flight Operations 2024, as captured by the NCAA, indicated that Arik Air had 1,112,358 and 1,126,818 as inbound and outbound passengers for 2024, respectively, making it a total of 2,239,176 passengers it ferried.

The monthly breakdown of the passenger traffic indicated that Arik Air had 37,772 inbound passengers and another 38,987 as outbound passengers in January 2024, totalling 76,759 passengers while in February the airline recorded 38,217 as inbound and 39,209 as outbound, totalling 77,426.

Also, in the month of March, it recorded 37,183 as inbound and 37,642 as outbound, making it a total of 74,825 and 31,326 as inbound and 31,971 as outbound, making 63,297 in April.

By May, its passengers traffic increased to 39,006 as inbound and 39,765 as outbound passengers, totalling 78,771 followed another 37,710 as inbound and 38,617 as outbound, totalling 76,327 in June.

Arik Air passengers quadrupled in July and August as ferried 156,146 as inbound and 159,044 as outbound, totalling 315,190 and 153,080 as inbound and 144,259 as outbound respectively, a figure totalling 297,339 within the period.

The data also showed that in September, Arik Air recorded 143,396 as inbound and 145,096 as outbound, making it a total figure of 288,492; October 129,506 as inbound and 133,330 as outbound, totalling 262,836 while it November figure stood at 252,448 as inbound and 255,578 as outbound, making it a total of 508,026 followed by a further 56,568 as inbound and 63,322 as outbound, making it a total of 119,890 passengers ferried within the December period.

Also, a month-by-month breakdown of flights operated by Arik Air in 2024 showed that the airline had a total number of 380 flights in January, 2024; 419 flights in February and 468 flights in March 2024.

Further breakdown showed that for the month of April, the airline operated a total number of 340 flights; May, 374; June, 350, while it peaked in July, going as high as 1,403 flights in just one month.

Besides, in August, the airline operated 1,320 flights; in September, 1,352; in October, 1,266; in November, 2,442, while it operated a total of 585 flights in December 2024. The airline within the period also had a total number of complaints among the air travellers, with just 190, with the majority being resolved by the airline.

The further breakdown of complaints indicated that for the month of January, there were no single complaints from any of its air passengers ferried within the period, had just two complaints in February, while March recorded only one complaint.

April had four complaints; May, two; June, one; July, three; August received seven complaints; September, 28; October, 50; November, 67, while December 2024 recorded only 25 complaints from the flying public. Besides, Arik Air did not record a single baggage miss in 2024, with all 84 delayed baggage items, as indicated by the NCAA statistics, were handed over to their owners.

Furthermore, unlike other domestic airline operators, Arik Air had only one overbooking/denied flight in its entire 10,699 flights in 2024. This was in October 2024.

Olumide Ohunayo, General Secretary Aviation Safety Round Table Initiativs said: “Arik Air’s performance in 2024 stands out as exceptional, despite the airline being under AMCON receivership. The data released by the regulatory authority ranked Arik as second in domestic passenger traffic, moving 2,239,176 passengers—a testament to its resilience and strategic management under challenging conditions.

“With a 13.4% market share out of the 11.5 million total domestic passengers, Arik Air’s sustained dominance highlights its strong operational efficiency. This result demonstrates Arik’s operational stability under Receivership despite financial constraints, distractive litigations, fleet limitations, and regulatory challenges, the airline continued to deliver reliable air travel services, showing effective route management and passenger demand optimization.

“It should be noted that Arik Air suffered severe disruptions due to a high court order grounding some of its aircraft last year when mediation was a better option to the instantaneous grounding by the executive.”

In his comment Roland Iyayi MD of Top Brass Aviation Limited said: “Arik Air transporting 2.2 million passengers and securing the second position in Nigeria’s domestic market, ahead of competitors like Ibom Air (1.3 million), Max Air (915,918), and Aero Contractors (964,900) is a huge and massive achievement, considering the disruptions the airline had suffered under receivership.

“Arik Air’s performance is remarkable given its limited access to fresh capital, aging fleet, and regulatory hurdles tied to its receivership status.

“The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) strategic support deserves recognition for its crucial role in stabilizing Arik Air, ensuring its continued operations, and maintaining confidence among passengers. Without AMCON’s intervention, the airline would not have remained a key player in Nigeria’s aviation industry. Arik Air’s ability to thrive under receivership reaffirms AMCON’s commitment to preserving jobs, sustaining economic contributions, and ensuring safe, reliable airline services for Nigerian travellers.”