For about eight hours during yesterday’s picketing in Lagos and Abuja airports, no fewer than 80 flights were cancelled, with more disrupted across local and regional networks, cumulatively worsening the plight of struggling Nigerian carriers.

A rough calculation availed to The Guardian showed a preliminary loss of N2 billion in revenue and sundry services, without accounting for the airlines’ ticket refund obligations to stranded passengers across airports nationwide.

Recall that aggrieved aviation workers’ unions yesterday clamped down on the operations of Air Peace airline, in protest of alleged outstanding of about N20 billion, non-remittance of the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) to regulators, and the right of workers to unionise.

The picketing, however, escalated tension between unionists and the airline’s workers, with Air Peace drivers allegedly deploying company buses to block access to the runway at Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, summarily cutting off all other domestic carriers and compounding the industry’s woes.

The collateral damage, untold hardship on air travellers, and economic sabotage have warranted calls from operators and stakeholders for a probe and the prosecution of some union members and Air Peace drivers.

The National Union of Air Transport Employees, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, and National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, backed by the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress, began picketing the airline in the early hours of Tuesday.

The unions had earlier issued three stages of warning, threatening to picket airlines that have refused to pay the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge.

The unions claimed that Air Peace alone owed aviation agencies about N15 billion in TSC, and accused the airline of frustrating its workers’ efforts to join trade unions.

With Air Peace accounting for an estimated 40 per cent of daily airline revenue, the disruption of its operations alone resulted in a significant economic loss for the sector.

Air Peace operates an average of 80 flights daily across its domestic, regional, and international network, carrying an estimated 8,000 passengers.

The unions subsequently picketed the airline and other carriers’ operations, blocking entrances to their terminals in Lagos and Abuja, thereby disrupting passenger movement and the departure of scheduled flights.

Air Peace spokesman, Efe Osifo-Whiskey, said the entrances to its Alpha and Zulu terminals at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 1, as well as its operations at Terminal 2 and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, were blocked.

He said the blockade prevented scheduled flights from departing and significantly affected passengers travelling across the airline’s network.

“The blockade has restricted access to these terminals, preventing the departure of scheduled flights from Lagos and Abuja. Consequently, passengers scheduled to travel across our network have been significantly affected by the disruption to flight operations.

“Air Peace sincerely apologises to all affected and stranded passengers for the disruption and inconvenience caused by circumstances beyond the airline’s control,” Osifo-Whiskey stated.

A source close to Air Peace told The Guardian that as of the time the unions suspended the picketing, no fewer than 50 per cent of the airline’s flights were cancelled, including Lagos-Abuja and Lagos-Port Harcourt services.

General Secretary of ATSSSAN, Frances Akinjole, said the unions took the action following Air Peace management’s refusal to enter discussions with them on how to remit the alleged debt and address unionism at the airline.

According to him, the latest action followed an unsuccessful attempt by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, to broker a meeting between the unions and airline operators last Friday.

According to him, the unions attended the meeting convened by the minister, but Air Peace subsequently stated that it would not meet with the unions.

He said: “The airline has been discouraging other airlines from industrial democracy. The airline (Air Peace) just committed an act of terrorism. It blocked the runway and parked its vehicles on the runway, which will prevent aircraft from taking off or landing on the runway.

“Our picketing of Air Peace is strategic. We have to start with the airline because it’s the major carrier in the country.

“Presently, we are only picketing their Lagos operations alone. We all know that most airlines depart or land in Lagos. So, it’s strategic. I don’t know how many days it will take us to picket the airlines. We will continue with this strategy for now.”

Akinjole confirmed that the unions had suspended the picketing action to allow room for a review.

However, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Aero Contractors, Ado Sanusi, has called on the Federal government to investigate the actions of the labour unions.

Speaking with The Guardian, Sanusi regretted that the action negatively impacted Aero Contractors out of Abuja.

He, however, said that its operations outside Lagos were only mildly affected because the unions’ action was concentrated at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) of Lagos airport.

He could not immediately provide a figure for the economic loss the airline suffered due to the about 10-hour disruption, but confirmed that it led to flight delays across its routes.

“For the monetary aspect, we can’t say. It is after an assessment has been done that this is the monetary aspect of the cost. We have to do a study and see the cost of the impact of the strike.

“This shows that the aviation sector has a bigger problem than we think. If the unions are taking it upon themselves to picket the airlines because they are not paying five per cent, then it has a problem because the parastatals have means of collecting the five per cent.

“Nigeria is a country of law, and we are law-abiding citizens. I think the Federal Government should investigate this because people are taking the law into their hands.”

Besides, United Nigeria Airlines (UNA) said it cancelled 32 of its flights on Tuesday due to the picketing.

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of UNA, Chibuike Uloka, said that UNA operates eight serviceable aircraft and that all were fully booked before the picketing.

According to him, the two Boeing 737s have a 175-seat capacity and were scheduled to operate 8 flights; the CRJ 190, with a 100-seat capacity, was also scheduled for 8 flights across its network.

The airline’s two CRJs have 80- and 90-seat capacities and were scheduled to operate four flights each. The ERJ, which has a 50-seat capacity, was also scheduled to operate eight flights. “With this, UNA may have lost about N500 million due to the unions’ disruption.”

However, this is not the first time labour unions have disrupted operations at Nigerian airports. Since the commencement of operations at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Two (MMA2), unions have picketed Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL), operators of the terminal, at least twice in the last eight years.

The first picketing was on October 9, 2018, when aviation unions, including ATSSSAN, NUATE and the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), blocked access to MMA2 over an industrial dispute involving the terminal operator and its workers.

The action affected airlines operating from the terminal, leaving passengers stranded. The terminal accommodates several airlines as well as banks, restaurants, telecommunications outlets and other businesses.

Also, on November 1, 2022, the terminal operator was picketing, allegedly denying its staff the right to join any union of their choice.

Apart from private operators, aviation unions also regularly embark on industrial action and protests against aviation agencies, including the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), and the NCAA.

Also, the Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, NCAA, Michael Achimugu, said that the regulatory body had ordered the arrest of the suspect driver.

He assured that appropriate sanctions would be meted out to the suspect, insisting that the regulatory agency would not tolerate such an action.

Also, the President of the Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI), Ademola Onitiju, condemned the unions for the “selective strike” embarked on Tuesday.

Onitiju, in a statement, said that the union’s action was in disregard of the minister’s ongoing intervention, but noted that the unions had the right to advocate for the welfare of their members under universally accepted principles.

“But picketing airport terminals over the non-remittance of Ticket Sales Charges and Cargo Sales Charges to the NCAA is completely out of order,” he said.

Meanwhile, the NCAA appealed to the unions to suspend the industrial action and return to dialogue.

The Director-General of Civil Aviation, Chris Najomo, said the authority was concerned about the impact of the action on passengers and other stakeholders.

He urged the unions to “sheathe their swords and exercise restraint” while efforts continued to resolve the issues.

According to the NCAA, a meeting convened by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development the previous week could have provided an avenue for resolving the dispute, but the meeting could not be held because some airline operators failed to honour the invitation.

Najomo assured the travelling public that the industrial dispute had not compromised flight safety, stressing that the NCAA remained committed to its statutory safety oversight responsibilities.

He said: “The NCAA assures the travelling public that flight safety remains uncompromised and that the Authority continues to exercise its statutory safety oversight responsibilities.

“We appeal to all parties to embrace dialogue and cooperation. We are confident that the matter will be resolved shortly and normal flight operations will resume as soon as practicable.” (Guardian)

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