Arik Air, the carrier under receivership managed by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, resumed domestic flight operations on 15 July 2020, restarting service on its core Lagos-Abuja-Port Harcourt routes a week after the sector-wide reopening that followed Nigeria's coronavirus lockdown.
A Cautious Restart for a Carrier Under Receivership
The airline reintroduced a reduced schedule rather than its full pre-pandemic timetable, citing continuing uncertainty over passenger demand and the additional costs of complying with new NCAA health and social-distancing protocols in the cabin. Arik Air had operated under AMCON receivership since 2017 following a debt restructuring, and management said the pandemic had added fresh strain to an already difficult turnaround effort.
Receiver-Manager Kamil Alan said the airline would expand frequencies gradually as demand recovered, while continuing talks with AMCON over the carrier's long-term restructuring, which remained unresolved even as flight operations returned to the skies.