STILL ON ARIK AIR'S BLACKLIST

 

 

And still on Arik Airs Blacklist. A leading stakeholder in the aviation industry has condemned Arik Air’s decision banning the managing director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr. George Uriesi, and 26 other Nigerians from boarding its aircraft as an arbitrary decision bordering on arrogance.

A former managing director of the defunct Nigeria Airways and secretary-general of Aviation Round Table (ART), Alhaji Mohammed Joji

Joji said only the pilot of an aircraft had the power to order a passenger out of the aircraft where the passenger constituted imminent security threat to the pilot and passengers on board.

He said under such circumstance, the captain of the aircraft could refuse to take off until the passenger suspected of constituting imminent danger to the flight disembarked.

Joji, who lamented that Arik Air was following the footsteps of the defunct Okada Airline by arbitrarily banning from its flights, some passengers, who disagree with the airline over certain issues, called on the press to draw the attention of the Ministry of Aviation to the behaviour of the airline.

A document widely circulated in the media on Tuesday entitled “List of passengers blacklisted on all Arik Air Flights” showed Uriesi as the first person on the list.

One Omojuwa Japhet was permanently ban for allegedly posting damaging reports about the airline on the social media after he lost his ipod in one of the airline’s flight.

Messrs Victor Ogbendah Elo, Lawal Lateef and Obayomi Osoba were also blacklisted for allegedly insulting the airline’s staff, disturbing the peace of other passengers and disrupting check-in and boarding procedures at the General Aviation Terminal, Lagos.

Also, Messrs Obiriki James and Guanah Raymos were banned for delaying flight W3 4001 on the April 28, 2012 for almost three hours, molesting the ground staff and telling check- in passengers that the aircraft was not airworthy.

Four Somalis Messrs Moulim Boubacai, Moussa Baba, Al-Laranma and Ibrahim were also banned for being declared security risk by the state security service.

Other persons blacklisted were Warsame Ahmed Abdulkadir, Abdel Rahman Wala Eldin, Mohammed Murtada Awa Alla Hamad, Bakare Lanre, Miss Davies-Fasan Adesola, Mrs. Ejilasisi Kudirat Abike, Mr. Musa Azeez Arisekola, Mr. Adesugba Sijuade Adekoya, Mr. Oluseye Yakubu Idowu and Mr. Olomiwe Peter Chukwu.

Others were Mr. Nwachukwu Austin, Mr. Orji Daniel Ikechukwu, Mr. Uzoh Himan, Mr. Adesanya David, Mr. Ikukoyi Olufemi Olukay and Grace Nkiruka Guobadia.