Arik Air clarifies on alleged abandonment of passengers

Arik Air on Thursday said its leaving of its passengers stranded at the Port Harcourt Airport on March 2 was unintentional and due to bad weather.

This is contained in a statement signed by Mr Adebanji Ola, Public Relations/Communications Manager of the airline, on Thursday in Lagos.

According to Ola, it is imperative that the airline provides clarity on the matter to avoid misconception.

He said that on March 2 evening, the flight W3 744 (Lagos to Port Harcourt) was compelled to make air return due to adverse weather conditions, specifically heavy rainfall and thunderstorms in Port Harcourt.

Ola said that the airline eventually cancelled both the Lagos-Port Harcourt (W3 744) and Port Harcourt-Lagos (W3 745) flights.

According to him, at the time of the cancellation, banking facilities at the airport had closed, making funds unfeasible.

“However, passengers were promptly briefed on the situation and advised to return the following day for accommodation on available flights.

“On Wednesday, March 3, all the affected passengers from both Lagos and Port Harcourt were successfully accommodated on available morning and evening flights.

“No single passenger was left stranded at Port Harcourt Airport,” he said.

Ola said that safety remained a foremost priority of Arik Air.

“We maintain a strict policy to avoid flying in inclement weather conditions, which necessitated cancellation of the flights,” he said.

Ola said that the airline regretted inconveniences caused its passengers by the travel plan disruption.

It was reported that some passengers of Arik Air were seen in a viral video complaining that they were left stranded at the Port Harcourt Airport on March 2.