Azman Air Services Limited has asked all its staff to embark on compulsory leave without pay amid ongoing C checks on its aircraft and the high cost of operations.
“The decision was made due to a number of factors, including ongoing C checks on its aircraft and the high cost of operations,” Nurudden Aliyu, an airline spokesperson, told TheCable newspaper.
“We have temporarily suspended the operation, and it was because all our 737s that we are using for domestic operations have to go through C checks,” Aliyu said.
C-check involves the inspection, overhaul, repair, upkeep, and replacement of parts of an aircraft, including preventative maintenance, identified as a complete block C Check in the aircraft manufacturer’s maintenance manuals and planning documents.
Aliyu explained that the airline had already sent two of its planes to a maintenance facility in Turkey, but the process was delayed due to a queue in the maintenance hangar.
“The other two we are using here are due for maintenance as well, and we are trying to send them out for C checks as well. Also, one of the planes has managed to get 90 percent complete, so we expect two of the planes to be back at the festival in October,” Mr. Aliyu added.
“Overheads are heavy, so management decided to put the company on hold.”
The suspension
According to reports, in an internal memo titled ‘Placement of Unpaid Leave’,
Issued to staff members and signed by the airline’s Human Resources Manager, Magaji Misau, the airline ordered its staff to embark on leave without pay.
“As you know, our domestic operations have been suspended for a while due to transporting our aircraft for C checks, and MROs have given a longer time to complete,” the memo reads.
“Management (has) directed to write and communicate its decision that all staff have been placed on leave without pay effective August 1, 2023.”
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According to the memo, only eight senior officials are exempt from the compulsory license.
Two years ago, following a series of incidents involving Azman Air’s Boeing 737 aircraft, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) suspended operations of all Boeing 737 aircraft in the airline’s fleet.
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