June 03, (THEWILL) – JEM Leasing Limited, owners of the CRJ 1000 registered as 5N-JEE, has dissociated itself from the plan to sell and/or tear down the aircraft.
The company is reacting to an announcement made by Arik Air in a statement issued on Friday, that JEM Leasing Limited has decided to sell the aircraft.
A statement from JEM Leasing Limited reads: “For the records, Arik Air is the launch customer and only operator of the CRJ 1000 in Africa. JEM Leasing is not party to any arrangement with “Arik Air In Receivership” for the tear down of the aircraft.
“The position of Cape Town Convention and the law of every jurisdiction is clear and incontrovertible regarding aircraft repossession and tear down.
“JEM Leasing dissociates itself from the purported decision and arrangements regarding the sale and tear down of this new generation CRJ 1000 aircraft in its entirety and urge the criminal investigative authorities of Nigeria to promptly investigate this asset destruction act and the claims of Arik Air (in Receivership) with regards to this false claims,” the statement reads.
Arik Air had, in a statement, announced the decision of JEM Leasing Limited, owners of the CRJ 1000 registered as 5N-JEE and its financiers, Export Development Canada (EDC), to sell the airplane.
It also announced the decision of the buyer to tear down the plane.
Arik Air, as the lessee, said it operated the aircraft since 2014, pursuant to a lease agreement with JEM Leasing Limited. Arik discontinued operations of the CRJ fleet since 2019.
“Arik Air would like to assure all stakeholders, including passengers, partners, and the general public, that the decision by the owner and financier of the Aircraft will not impact Arik’s operations or compromise its commitment to providing safe, reliable, and convenient air travel services,” Arik Air statement had said.
Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.
