Azman Air suspends flight operations, asks staff to proceed on leave without pay

Azman Airline has suspended flight operations indefinitely, attributing it to ongoing C-checks on all its aircraft and the high cost of operations.

The spokesperson of the airline, Nurudden Aliyu, disclosed this to journalists on Monday, saying, “We have temporarily suspended our operation, and it is due to the fact that all the Boeing 737s we are using for domestic operations are due for C-checks.”

He stated that two of their aircraft were sent to a maintenance facility in Turkey for C-checks, but unfortunately, they will have to wait for a long queue at the hangar, which would take some time to complete.

Aliyu added that the two other aircraft are due for maintenance, while the other one has achieved 90 per cent completion and is expected back in the country by October.

Meanwhile, the airline, in an internal memo titled ‘Placement of Leave Without Pay,’ issued to staff members and signed by the airline’s Human Resources Manager, Magaji Misau, directed its staff to embark on leave without pay.

Aliyu, while explaining the recent development, said that the airline is facing financial difficulties due to a lack of revenue, and sending workers on leave without pay was a way to cut costs.

“We have been doing on-and-off operations since March, sometimes with one aircraft. So we decided, due to this harsh situation, to temporarily suspend domestic operations until we put our house in order,” the spokesperson said.

“We are not going to employ another set of people; we are going to engage them. That’s why, in the mail sent to them, we gave them assurance that once the situation normalises, they will be called upon.

“The only problem is that we didn’t state the date of resumption. Like I said, since March, we have been doing on-and-off operations, and we have not denied anybody salaries. We have been consistent in that regard, but the burden became too much on the company since there is no revenue. That’s why we decided to suspend operations.”

In the meantime, Nigerians have shared their ordeal with Azman Air, accusing the airline of cancelling their flights and refusing to make refunds.

Aliyu, speaking on the matter, said the airline has made it a priority to process payments for those who have applied for a refund, and they hope to complete the process upon resumption.

“We are working on that, and we are going to pay everybody. In fact, that’s what we are working on now, to pay those that have refund cases with us,” he said.

“The payment will be made to those who apply for a refund. Once your flight is cancelled, we have a refund form that customers are meant to fill out. It’s only the customers who fill out this form who can be refunded.

“We are determined to make payment to everyone we owe, and we hope to clear that upon our resumption.”