Lagos — Hundreds of air travellers were yesterday morning stranded at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, after the National Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) grounded Arik Airline over unpaid debt.

Arik is said to owe over N1.9 billion on domestic routes and about $126, 000 on international routes.

NAMA's head of Public Affairs Supo Atobatele said the agency gave Arik airlines until yesterday to pay its debt accumulated for years or be grounded.

The agency approves flight plans filed by airlines and also has the authority to deny same to some airlines.

Atobatele told our correspondent that only ten agency's airline that complied with the demands as at this morning were flying.

Airlines are supposed to statutorily deduct five per cent of ticket fees and remit to the agencies.

"Ten airlines have complied and are flying, except Arik," Atobatele said.

Some of the airlines that were flying included; Air Nigeria, Aero Contractors, Dana Air, Chanchangi Airlines, Overland Airline, Associated Airline, Allied Air, OAS Helicopters, Bristow Helicopter and Mobil Aviation.

Atobatele urged Arik to comply with the Federal Government order and be allowed to fly again.

"It is not our duty to ground airline, but they are not flying, others have complied, why shouldn't they?" he asked.

He said virtually all the domestic airlines yesterday embraced the newly introduced Pay As You Go system of payment by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) as they operated flights across the country without hitches.

Arik Air did not refused to comply with the new payment regime, claiming that the introduction of pay as you go payment regime was a unilateral decision by the Agency.

Arik Air information officer, Mr. Banji Ola, could not be reached through his phone as at the time of filling this report.

A peace meeting was said to have been called by the Minister of Aviation, Mrs Fidelia Njeze, few weeks ago with other airline operators but was shunned by Arik airline.

The Assistant General Secretary of the AON, Alhaji Mohammed Tukur, said: "If it is true that Arik did not honour the invitation by NAMA aimed at reconciling accounts to ensure the actual amount the airline was owing and the eventual payment of the debts through an agreed payment plan, I will be very surprised.

"This is because at the last meeting with the minister of aviation, we all agreed that all member airlines of AON must pay the debt they owe, especially on international operations. Arik Air in the presence of everybody said it was ready to pay what it owed on international operations. It further said it was ready to cooperate with NAMA."

Arik was said to be making arrangement to pay N50 million to NAMA yesterday to enable it commence operation this morning.

The airlines owe NAMA more than N4 billion over the years.