Nigeria’s largest airline, Arik Air, operated without spare tyres and other important equipment necessary to facilitate operations, the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) has said.
Addressing a press conference in Lagos on Wednesday, AMCON spokesperson, Jude Nwauzor, noted that until the airline was taken over by the corporation in February, it operated without adequate equipment.
According to AMCON, the former management of Arik Airlines were basically gambling with the lives of millions of people that patronize the airline because it did not care about safety.
The corporation noted that critical operational arrangement such as having a simulator, which would have ensured that Arik pilots undertook mandatory trainings as required to improve their efficiency, were non-existent.
AMCON also said that the airline had inadequate equipment to facilitate its operations, which reflected in the insufficient laptops available at the airports to conduct basic checks.
Nwauzor also disclosed that the airline was indebted to the tune of N375 billion naira in local debt, adding that it also accumulated foreign debt totalling 31 million euros and $6.5 million.