Nine years after it commenced scheduled operations, Azman Air has finally stopped operations.

But, Mr. Nurudden Aliyu, the Spokesman of Azman Air, said the management only suspended its operations due to its inability to return its four aircraft back to service.

Sources close to the airline confided in Daily Independent that its failure to access foreign exchange and high charges may have compelled the management to finally shut operations, saying more airlines may follow suit.

The sources confided in Daily Independent that Alhaji Abdulmunaf Yunusa, the Chairman of Azman Air, had already informed the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) of its decision to cease operations forthwith.

However, Azman Air still has a valid Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) with the NCAA, which expires at the end of August.

According to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig. CARs), on AOC issuance, any operator that fails to renew its certificate would lose it after 90 days, while NCAA can go ahead to suspend such an airline.

After sometime, the NCAA also has the power to revoke such a licence.

Daily Independent learnt that Yunusa who is also the President, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), had conveyed the position to cease operations to NCAA through a letter, which was addressed to Capt. Musa Nuhu, the Director-General Civil Aviation (DGCA).

It was also gathered that the NCAA management had been having a marathon meeting with the management of Azman Air since Tuesday on its decision to quit operations.

The sources claimed that Yunusa, in the letter, told the NCAA that he was tired of running the business due to the myriads of challenges he was confronted with since the airline was established.

One of them said: “Azman Air has finally thrown in the towel. Its Chairman, Alhaji Abdulmunaf Yunusa, has already informed the NCAA that he was tired of running the airline. The airline has been in troubled waters for many months. It has suspended operations more than three times in the last one year.

“The fact is that more aviation professionals will become jobless as a result of this decision. Remember that the airline suspended flight operations about four months ago due to its inability to return its Boeing 737 aircraft that went for maintenance abroad more than six months.”

When Daily Independent contacted Mr. Nurudden Aliyu, the Public Relations Manager, Azman Air, he debunked the cessation claim.

Aliyu, however, said that the airline suspended operations a few months ago due to its failure to return its four aircraft that went on maintenance in and out of the country.

According to him, two of its airplanes are stuck in Turkey, while the other two remained in Nigeria.

Aliyu, however, assured that the airline would return to service by October, hoping that two of the airplanes in Turkey would have returned to service, while the other two would return later in the same month.

He also told Daily Independent that the airline would today hold a meeting with the Directorate of Air Transport Regulations (DATR) of NCAA, assuring that the carrier would return to service.

He said: “We are not ceasing our operations. We only suspended it. We have pulled out four of our airplanes for maintenance. We had hoped that they will return immediately, but since we could not get them back, we had to send our staff on leave of absence. But we are coming back, I can assure you of that.”

Recall that NCAA had in the last two years suspended Azman Air’s operations for various reasons, which included its N1.2 billion debt to NCAA.

The airline had to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NCAA in the first quarter of 2022 on how it would be paying back the said amount.

The airline had accused it of non-remittance of Ticket Sale Charge and Cargo Sale Charge (TSC/CSC).

Just on August 3, 2023, a memo, signed by Magaji Misau, its Human Resource Manager, with the title, ‘Placement of Leave without Pay,’ asked all of staff to proceed on leave with an exception of an under listed eight names.

The letter read in part: “As you are aware, our domestic operations has been put on hold for a while due to the conveyance of our aircraft for C-checks and the MROs has given a longer time of completion.

“In view of the above, the management directed to write and communicate its decision that all staff have been placed on leave without pay with effect from August 1, 2023.”

Azman Air commenced operations in 2014. (Daily Independent)

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