The Joint Aviation Union has vowed to picket more airlines over escalating debt owed to aviation agencies.

The NUATE Deputy National President, Comrade Uzor Samuel Oluchi while speaking to The Guardian on the disruption of flight activities at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International airport, Abuja said their plan was to picket all the major airlines and move to the smaller ones

He said “All the airlines are owing so our plan is to disrupt flights operation by Air Peace, United Nigeria Airlines and others before moving to others.”

He however disclosed that the union has been invited to a meeting by the federal government, saying the response would determine their actions.

Meanwhile the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Federal Airport Authority has appealed to the Aviation workers to exercise patience pending intervention of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo.

NCAA in a statement signed by the DGCA Captain Chris Najomo said the Authority was aware of the ongoing industrial action by aviation unions and its impact on passengers and other stakeholders.

The statement noted that the matter could have been resolved by the Minister previous week, but the airline operators failed to honour the meeting.

NCAA however appealed appealed to all parties to embrace dialogue and cooperation assuring that the issue be resolved shortly and normal flight operations will resume as soon as practicable.

Similarly, FAAN in a press statement assured that they are working closely with the relevant aviation agencies, airlines, security agencies and other stakeholders to minimise the impact of the industrial action and ensure that airport operations are not disrupted.

The Authority also confirmed that the earlier operational challenges affecting the movement of some flights within the airside environment have been addressed through ongoing inter-agency coordination, and measures are being sustained to support the orderly continuation of flight operations.

They assured of their commitment to ensuring that Nigeria’s airports remain safe, secure, functional and accessible to passengers and other airport user. They urged passengers to remain calm and maintain contact with their respective airlines for real-time information regarding their flights. (The Guardian)

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