 |
| The airlines said whereas it had paid N7 million owed FAAN over use of Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, the airport authority has continued to deny receiving pay and allegedly set some workers against the airlines. |
Air Peace Airlines yesterday threatened to sue the Federal Airports
Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) over alleged false claims of indebtedness
and attempts to discredit the airlines among the public.
The airlines said whereas it had paid N7 million owed FAAN over use
of Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, the airport authority has
continued to deny receiving pay and allegedly set some workers against
the airlines.
Air Peace, therefore, demanded an unreserved apology from FAAN for
“deliberately tarnishing our image or risk our resolve to resort to all
legal means to pursue the matter to its logical conclusion.”
Spokesperson of FAAN, Henrietta Yakubu, when contacted on phone, said
details of the issue were still being gathered and the authority would
react soon. FAAN was yet to react as at press time.
The Corporate Communications Manager of the airlines, Chris Iwarah,
yesterday alleged that FAAN had recruited some groups in the aviation
sector to make false allegations against it in the authority’s bid to
lower the airlines’ corporate reputation in the estimation of
right-thinking members of the public.
Iwarah, who insisted that the debt had been paid, with evidence sent
to FAAN and the authority in return had apologised for the disruption of
operations, said:
“While we were still trying to manage the crisis
caused by the Enugu incident, we learnt on good authority that FAAN had
recruited different groups lacking in credibility to attack our
corporate image rather than being genuinely remorseful for its illegal
action that disrupted our operations beginning from 5.30 a.m. when our
members of staff resumed for duty at the facility.
One of the hired
groups circulated false information to the media on Sunday, alleging
that the payments we made in favour of FAAN were yet to reflect and that
the reckless disruption of our operations only lasted for 43 minutes.
“We consider this futile attempt to alter the shameful narrative and
further tarnish our excellent corporate image a clear afterthought. FAAN
cannot approbate and reprobate at the same time. The authority had
confirmed to the media on Friday that we were not indebted to it and
that the heedless action of its Enugu manager was a product of gross
error.”
SOURCE:-http://guardian.ng
