Skift Take
There may be corruption to go around, but with most of Nigeria's major airlines grounding their planes either by choice or by order, the aviation sector is obviously in disarray at every level.
Nigeria's largest airline Arik Air Ltd. halted all its domestic flights indefinitely Thursday as its leaders alleged government corruption made it impossible for the carrier to fly, after officials raided and disrupted its flights without explanation.
Arik Air's top executives told journalists that employees of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria raided its operations at Lagos' Murtala Muhammed International Airport and gave those waiting on its flights nearby conflicting and disparaging information about the airline. The airport authority later denied its employees were involved, blaming the raid on unions upset over unpaid salaries.
The conflicting claims add more confusion to the aviation industry in Africa's most populous nation, where few of its nine domestic airlines are now operating and distrust remains after a commercial jetliner crashed in June, killing more than 160 people.
Arik Air cancelled its flight
