Aero Contractors takes delivery of five new aircraft as it relaunches operations following shutdown

DOMESTIC Nigerian airline Aero Contractors has taken delivery of five new Q400 aircraft as part of an aggressive new recovery programme aimed at relaunching its operations following a recent decision to shut down on July 20.

Last month, Aero Contractors halted all of its operations in response to the going cash crunch, it along with other Nigerian airlines are facing. Due to the high cost of aviation fuel, an inability to repatriate funds and a dollar scarcity among other problems, most Nigerian airlines are struggling to keep going and after months of struggling, Aero's management opted to shut up shop.

However, after securing capital for investment, the airline has managed to purchase five new aircraft which arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja yesterday. Arriving from Canada en route Algiers, the planes will allow Aero to resume operations in full shortly.

Aero Contractors' managing director Captain Abdullahi Mahmud, said: “As you know, we have suspended our scheduled operations, so this is part of our recovery strategies since most of our aircraft are undergoing maintenance and we want to make sure that when we are coming back as we promised, we would come back very strong.

“There are five aircraft coming in and this is the first one. The pilots will be going back tonight with Lufthansa and once they go back, they will bring the second one.”

“We are getting prepared to resume operation as soon as possible. I don’t want to give exact date for resumption but we are going to resume as soon as possible, so, we are working always because we don’t want to rush coming back."

Explaining how the funding works, he added that the company was partnering Umza Express to purchase the aircraft as their partners actually own the planes. Captain Mahmud said: “The formula is not 60-40, the cost of paying the pilot goes to the owner of the aircraft.

"He is paying for the cabin crew, he is paying for the fuel. At the end of the day, we will look at the cost and from the revenue, Aero will still take something out of it despite the fact that he is paying for the pilot, cabin crew, maintenance of the aircraft.”

In May aviation unions had threatened to disrupt  Aero Contractors’ operations amid rumours that the company's management was planning to sack 40% of its workforce as part of a cost-cutting measure. Faced with soaring operating costs, the airlines have been forced into drastic action to resolve their problems.