The scheduled passenger service operations of Aero Contractors Company of Nigeria Limited (ACN), also known as Aero Contractors, will temporarily cease on July 20, 2022.
The Lagos-based airline cites ongoing fleet maintenance as the cause of its brief suspension.
“This decision was carefully considered and taken due to the fact that most of our [aircraft] is currently undergoing maintenance, resulting in our inability to offer a seamless and efficient service to our esteemed customers,” the airline said in a statement published on Twitter.
According to the statement, the airline anticipates returning its fleet to service within “the next few weeks.”
— Aero Contractors (@flyaero) July 18, 2022
The operating climate in Nigeria as well as the difficulties the industry is encountering are mentioned in Aero Contractors as having an impact on “key components of airline operations.”
“The past few months have been very challenging for the aviation industry and the airline operators in particular. With the high cost of maintenance, skyrocketing fuel prices, inflation, and forex scarcity resulting in high foreign exchange rates,” the airline said.
According to the statement, the airline is trying to use its affiliation with the Spring Alliance to lessen the delays that its customers are facing.
Six Nigerian airlines banded together to form the Spring Alliance in March 2022: Air Peace, Arik Air, Azman Air, Aero Contractors, United Nigeria, and Max Air.
According to airline executives quoted by Nigeria’s The Guardian, the alliance’s goal is to set aside domestic rivalry and provide customers with better service while enabling more efficient and broader operational capabilities for the airlines themselves.
Nigerian airlines have been struggling with expensive fuel costs, which were made worse by the circumstances brought on by the Ukraine conflict.
The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) informed the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, in a letter dated May 6, 2022, that its member airlines will suspend operations throughout Nigeria due to high fuel prices.
Following conversations with Nigerian government representatives, the AON decided to temporarily halt its preparations to ground flights.
Max Air, Ibom Air, Aero Contractors, Overland Airways, Air Peace, United Nigeria Airlines, Arik Air, Azman Air, and Dana Air is the member airlines of AON.
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