LAGOS – Arik Air said yesterday that it was never suspended from the Bill Settlement Plan, BSP, of the International Air Transport Association, IATA.

Spokesman of the airline, Mr. Banji Ola, also dismissed insinuations that he spoke with any media person on the issue.

In a statement issued in Lagos, Ola said:  “I write to express my displeasure over the story captioned “IATA suspends Arik Air over billing settlement plan” which appeared in your paper on Friday, October 21, 2011.

“The story is a figment of your reporter’s imagination as IATA has denied issuing such release. Worse still, your reporter claimed to have contacted me and that I confirmed the story. Your reporter, Daniel Eteghe never spoke with me on the issue and I was taken aback when I saw my name in print.

“The facts of the case are:  Arik Air just got full and active membership of IATA on Monday, Oct. 17, 2011- the formal announcement/ press release is on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011.
“Prior to that, we became a member of IATA BSP in 2010, after successful IOSA audit and certification.

“We have been on the IATA BSP in Nigeria, Ghana, UK, USA and recently the Global Distribution System ,GDS-Arik is still on these BSP’s and GDS to date.

“However, IATA rejected our Nigerian bank account for deposits of sales by Travel Agents, BSP, in some Franco-phone West Africa countries (Ouagadougou, Benin Republic, Mali, etc). They wanted Arik to open the collection accounts in those countries.

“While we were doing that, IATA asked travel agents on the BSP in those countries only, to stop sales of Arik tickets, since the accounts to deposit the monies were not in place yet.

“The stoppage of sales (called suspension by your man) was done to safeguard Arik’s sales revenue in those countries. It has nothing to do with ‘credit coverage’. It was good news that turned sour, judging from the reactions we have received from concerned Nigerians and organisations.”