Starting this week, 30th July 2007, Arik Air’s two New Generation Boeing 737-700 aircraft will begin proving and training flights with Boeing pilots to complete the final line checks with Arik pilots before the commencement of commercial flights on 8th August 2007.
Michael McTighe, Managing Director of Arik Air commented on the expected impact of the airline’s introduction of New Generation planes:
“On 7th August a VIP inaugural flight and press conference will take place following which everyone in Nigeria will have the opportunity to experience our new state of the art 737-700NG aircraft. In addition, passengers taking the first commercial flight on Wednesday 8th August will receive a commemorative gold coin and unique first flight boarding pass that will remind them that they were part of a very special day in the development of Nigerian aviation.
“This is all apart from the very special experience they will have on board these aircraft, one that we are confident they will want to repeat every time they make plans to travel by air. The Boeing 737-700 is one of the best-selling versions of the successful Next-Generation 737 family and with these two aircraft we are introducing the first new Commercial Boeing Jets into Nigeria over 25 years. It’s another New Experience from Arik Air”
The proving and training flights will send the aircraft all over Nigeria taking in routes from Calabar in the south to Sokoto in the north over the course of next week. Boeing pilots have been brought in especially for this exercise to ensure that the aircraft are totally prepared for commercial flights next week.
ARIK AIR SUPPORTS AVIATION TRAINING IN NIGERIA(11th July 2007)
Arik Air is to host a unique opportunity for Nigerian airline carriers to receive Airline Instructor Training Courses not previously available in the country.
A series of seven training courses will be available at the Arik Air Aviation Centre at Murtala Muhammed Domestic Airport in Lagos run by NCAA recognised specialists from the UK, AACT (Active Aviation Consulting & Training) between 6th and 24th August 2007. Some are renewal courses which were previously conducted in the UK incurring expenses for airlines in Nigeria, and others are new courses that will support national safety standards for the benefit of the aviation industry as a whole.
On completion of the courses, individual airlines will be able to conduct their own training in-house with certified instructors, allowing them to manage their own training processes more efficiently and cost effectively in future.
Active Solutions Consulting Group is one of the largest European independent training, recruitment and consulting solution providers for the air transport, travel and hospitality industries. They provide training for airlines in six continents of the world as well as consultancy support and regulatory matters and have full NCAA recognition for qualification and certification of Nigerian Airline Instructors.
The courses will be run from Arik Air’s new training facility which has all the equipment and infrastructure required by the specialists. Arik Air instructors will also attend the courses to support the airline’s own progressive training and development programme.
The seven courses are: CRM Facilitators Course (four days); Training & Instructional Techniques Course (three days); Fire & Smoke for Instructors (two days); SEP Standards for Instructors (two days); Aviation Medicine for Instructors (three days); Emergency Equipment for Instructors (two days) and Security for Instructors (three days).
Further information about AACT is available on line at www.activescg.com and course reservations can be made by email: enquiries@activescg.com.