NAMA grounds Arik aircraft over $2.5 million debt

The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has grounded several aircraft belonging to Arik Airline due to an outstanding debt of $2.5 million. The decision follows an order from the enforcement department of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court.
According to a statement released by NAMA on Tuesday, the grounding of Arik’s aircraft is a direct consequence of the court order concerning the debt owed by Arik to Atlas Petroleum International Ltd.
“On July 19, 2024, the enforcement department of the FCT High Court acted on an order regarding a $2.5 million debt owed by Arik Airline to Atlas Petroleum International Ltd. by attaching their aircraft,” the statement read. “Arik was further notified of a public auction of the planes scheduled for July 26, 2024, if the judgment debt was not paid. These notifications were served to our agency and the Minister of Aviation.”
The dispute dates back to a March 2016 judgment by the Lagos State High Court, which ruled against Arik. Despite appealing to the Court of Appeal and subsequently to the Supreme Court, Arik’s attempts were dismissed, with the Supreme Court ruling against their application for leave to appeal in January 2024.
Following the Supreme Court’s dismissal, the judgment was registered with the High Court of FCT. On June 26, 2024, Justice O. A. Adeniyi ordered the attachment of all movable properties belonging to Arik, including aircraft registered as B737-700/5N-MJF, B737-800/5N-MJQ, DASH8-Q400, and 5N-BKX, to satisfy the judgment debt.
NAMA noted that Arik has since obtained an ex parte order to halt further execution of the attachment, though they have not been formally served with this order. In response, NAMA decided to ground the aircraft to ensure they remain within the jurisdiction of the court and are not tampered with.
“To preserve the subject matter of the present dispute, which are the aircraft in question, we have decided to comply with the effect of the Supreme Court order by grounding the aircraft so they are not taken out of the court’s jurisdiction or tampered with,” NAMA stated.
The agency emphasized that the Minister of Aviation, as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, understands the implications of the Supreme Court order and will ensure compliance to avoid any legal repercussions.
NAMA concluded by urging the parties involved to resolve the issue promptly so that the grounded Arik aircraft can resume flight operations.