Following the outbreak of Ebola Virus which Nigeria recorded first Ebola virus death in Lagos that involved a Liberian national who flew a Non-Nigerian regional based airline from Monrovia the Liberian Capital via Lome (Togo) into Lagos lastweek, Arik Air said it is suspending its operations into Monrovia (Liberia) and Freetown (Sierra Leone) effective from today July 28, 2014.
According to Arik it said that the suspension remains till further notice, as this decision is a pre-cautionary measure aimed at safeguarding the precious lives of Nigerians; “Arik Air is taking this important step as a concerned corporate citizen bearing the interest of Nigerians at heart. We acknowledge the steps that the Federal Government of Nigeria is currently undertaking to prevent the spread of the deadly Ebola virus; however, we feel especially compelled to take the business decision to immediately suspend flight services into the two Ebola affected countries due to our interest in the wellbeing of Nigerians”, said Banji Ola, the Arik Airline spokesman.
According to him he said at the early stages of the contagion’s development across West Africa, the Gambian Government took the proactive decision to stop airlines (including Arik Air) from bringing inbound passengers from Monrovia, Conakry (Guinea) and Freetown into Banjul.
Hence, in line with the actions taken by the Gambian Government, we trust (and are confident) that the Federal Government of Nigeria shall take all steps necessary to control and curtail the spread of the virus. We humbly suggest that as a first step, all inbound flights into Nigeria which originate from any of the Ebola affected countries, be immediately suspended. At Arik Air, our core vision and purpose is, “to provide world-class experiences and services which are safe, reliable and continually contribute towards both improved user quality of life as well as the elevation of Nigeria’s global standing.
