Flight Operations Resume Nationwide as Unions Suspend Industrial Action Temporarily

Domestic airlines have resumed flight operations following the suspension of industrial action by aviation unions over the dispute surrounding the remittance of the five percent ticket sales charge (TSC).

Speaking on Tuesday, Osifo-Whiskey Efe, spokesperson of Air Peace, said the airline had resumed operations but is still working to clear the backlog of passengers stranded by the disruption.

He said Air Peace, which operates about 70 regional and international flights daily, had cancelled 29 flights as of Tuesday afternoon, with more cancellations possible.

“We are trying to see how many flights we can operate with the amount of passengers who have been waiting at the airport,” Efe said.

“We have a flight in our programme that we are supposed to operate with at least 70 flights a day. At the moment, we have cancelled 29 and counting. So we don’t know how much of our flights will be cancelled today.”

Asked whether the unions had suspended their industrial action, he said the unions had announced at the airport that the action had been suspended temporarily.

“Yes, they stated that it has been suspended,” the Air Peace official said.

“Based on the announcement that they made at the airport, they stated that they will continue tomorrow. That they are done with their first phase, which is Air Peace, and they will come back for the other airlines, which will be communicated in due course. We don’t know which airline they want to picket.”

United Nigeria Airlines also announced the resumption of its flight operations following the suspension of the industrial action.

The airline, in a statement, said its scheduled morning flights were affected by the industrial action.

“Please note that our scheduled morning flights were impacted. We are working to ensure that all affected passengers are accommodated and reunited with their destinations as soon as possible,” the statement reads.

The airline advised passengers seeking updates on their flights or further assistance to contact its customer service team.

Earlier, domestic airlines suspended flight operations following industrial action by aviation unions over the dispute on ticket sales charge remittances.

The disruption affected access to terminals at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

However, Chris Najomo, director-general (DG) of the NCAA, appealed to unions to suspend the industrial action and embrace dialogue and cooperation.

Najomo said the matter could have been addressed at a meeting convened by Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation and aerospace development, last week, but the meeting could not hold because airline operators failed to honour the invitation.

The industrial action came days after the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) warned the aviation unions against disrupting flight operations over the TSC dispute.

The airline operators said domestic airlines are already operating under conditions that threaten their survival, citing the high cost of aviation fuel and multiple charges imposed on operators.