Stakeholders in the nation’s aviation and transportation industry have warned that recurring labour disputes and industrial actions in Nigeria’s aviation sector could undermine passenger confidence, raise concerns among aircraft lessors and creditors, and expose weaknesses in regulatory enforcement and airport governance.

The experts spoke against the backdrop of the recent industrial action by aviation unions against Air Peace, which reportedly disrupted about 70 flights, stranded passengers and affected the operations of other airlines at major airports.

Former Commandant of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Group Captain John Ojikutu (rtd.), attributed the apprehension among lessors and creditors to what he described as inadequate regulatory control over airlines and commercial aviation services.

Ojikutu, a renowned aviation expert, while commenting on the latest developments in the industry, said, “Not having effective regulatory control over the airlines is the reason why the leasors and creditors are apprehensive over uncertainties in our commercial aviation services.”

“How effective is the NCAA Oversight and Enforcement of the Nig CARs Part 18 on the aviation commercial services, especially the airlines, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and ground handlers?”, the retired Air Force officer queried.

Also commenting on the development, transportation expert and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Geography, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Lagos, Dr Femi Aiyegbajeje, said the recent union protest had implications far beyond the immediate labour dispute.

He noted that the reported disruption of flights operated by Air Peace and other carriers demonstrated the high level of interdependence within Nigeria’s air transport network.

Aiyegbajeje described the reported incident involving an Air Peace bus obstructing the runway or taxiway as particularly troubling, stressing that airport movement areas are safety-critical environments.

“Labour disputes should never compromise aviation safety,” he said, warning that the use of airport operational areas as instruments of industrial action could create the possibility of aircraft-vehicle collisions and other catastrophic consequences.

He, however, acknowledged that the unions’ concerns over workers’ rights and the alleged non-remittance of the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) were legitimate issues that should be resolved institutionally.

According to him, industrial action in aviation requires a higher level of responsibility because its consequences extend beyond the immediate parties to passengers, airlines and the wider economy.

He said the reported disruption, which affected Air Peace as well as United Nigeria Airlines and other operators, illustrated how action against one major carrier could rapidly generate network-wide consequences.

“Passenger confidence is likely to suffer,” Aiyegbajeje warned, noting that travellers already contend with flight delays, cancellations and relatively high fares.

“When passengers see an airport effectively shut down because of an industrial dispute, it can weaken confidence in the reliability of domestic air transport and encourage some travellers to return to road transportation where feasible,” he said.

Beyond passenger confidence, he said repeated disruptions could have wider economic consequences, particularly because aviation serves as a critical transport link connecting Nigeria’s major commercial centres.

The university lecturer also raised questions about airport governance and security, arguing that clearer protocols were required to regulate demonstrations and industrial disputes within airport premises.

He stressed that while workers’ right to protest must be respected, such rights should be balanced against the obligation to maintain a secure and operational aviation environment.

Aiyegbajeje further argued that government and regulators should have intervened earlier to prevent the dispute from escalating into airport disruption.

He called for stronger mechanisms involving the NCAA, the Ministry of Aviation and other relevant stakeholders to facilitate early dispute resolution between airlines and aviation unions.

“The fact that the dispute escalated to the point of airport disruption indicates that existing negotiation and mediation mechanisms were inadequate,” he said.

He also advised that the reported runway obstruction should be treated as a separate aviation safety matter from the underlying labour dispute, stressing that even where workers’ grievances were found to be justified, actions capable of compromising aircraft operations could not be condoned.

From a transport geography perspective, Aiyegbajeje described the incident as an illustration of how disruption at a single major transport node, particularly Lagos airport, could produce network-wide spatial and economic impacts across Nigeria’s air transport system.

He, therefore, recommended that the Federal Government establish a permanent aviation industrial-relations mechanism involving the NCAA, airport authorities, airlines and recognised aviation unions.

Such a mechanism, he said, should provide for compulsory mediation and structured dispute resolution before industrial action capable of disrupting airport operations is undertaken.

Earlier, the President of the Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI), Air Commodore Ademola Onitiju (rtd.), had admonished all stakeholders to unequivocally stand against picketing at airport terminals and their immediate environs.

Onitiju, in a statement made available to the Nigerian Tribune, warned that travel disruptions are not only distressing for passengers who have paid for the services but also send negative signals about Nigerian aviation to potential investors and the international community.

He said, “To secure the integrity of the nation’s airspace, protect the traveling public, and restore investor confidence, a constructive way forward must be embraced by all parties. Labour unions must immediately halt all blockades and disruptions at airport terminals, ensuring that any grievances regarding internal corporate administration or staff unionisation are pursued strictly through appropriate corporate headquarters or legal channels away from sensitive security zones.

“Regulatory debt recovery must remain strictly between the regulatory authority and the respective carriers via established legal and administrative mechanisms, insulating the wider traveling public and innocent operators from collateral disruption”, Onitiju emphasised. (Nigerian Tribune)

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