Passengers were left stranded in Lagos, Abuja and Enugu on Tuesday as aviation unions grounded operations of Air Peace over allegations of non-remittance of ticket sales charges and the airline’s alleged resistance to workers’ unionisation.
The industrial action, led by the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), with the backing of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), disrupted the airline’s operations and reportedly affected about 70 flights.
The unions accused Air Peace of failing to remit the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) payable to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), while also alleging that the airline had frustrated its employees’ efforts to organise and join trade unions.
The development triggered significant disruption at major airports, particularly in Lagos, Abuja and Enugu, leaving scores of passengers stranded and forcing some travellers to seek alternative arrangements.
The situation was further heightened after an Air Peace driver allegedly drove a large bus onto the airside during the picketing exercise.
The NCAA confirmed the incident, saying the vehicle obstructed movement within the airside and was subsequently towed away by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
The NCAA Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, said the authority had ordered that the driver be identified and arrested for possible prosecution.
“During the enforcement of the picketing, a driver drove the large bus to the runway, parked and left the place. We have ordered that the driver in question be identified and arrested for onward prosecution,” Achimugu said.
“How can somebody block the runway? That is seriously uncalled for. We will investigate, and the necessary portions of the Act will be invoked,” he added.
Air Peace, however, disputed the allegation that its vehicle blocked the runway.
The airline’s spokesman, Efe Whiskey-Osifo, maintained that the bus did not obstruct the runway, although the circumstances surrounding the incident remained subject to investigation by the aviation authorities.
Unions Demand N25bn in Ticket Sales Charges
The unions said the picketing followed several warnings issued to airlines over the alleged non-remittance of the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge.
A NUATE official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the total TSC allegedly owed by members of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) was approximately N25 billion, with Air Peace allegedly accounting for about N15 billion.
“There’s a meeting between the airline operators association. You are aware of the cause of the strike: TSC issues amounting to about N25bn. The total accrued to AON is N25bn,” the official said.
“Air Peace is having the highest amount of N15bn, and secondly, they are denying airline workers of organising and to form unions, which is a fundamental right. Those are the two things that we are fighting for,” the official added.
The five per cent Ticket Sales Charge is collected from passengers as part of the cost of airline tickets. Under aviation regulations, airlines collect the charge and remit it to the NCAA for distribution among relevant agencies to support their operational requirements.
Air Peace, however, rejected the allegation, insisting that it had remitted the five per cent TSC to the NCAA.
The airline also questioned why its operations had been singled out for disruption when the unions had earlier indicated that they intended to picket Nigerian airlines generally.
Air Peace Accuses Unions of Targeting Its Hubs
Whiskey-Osifo said the unions deliberately targeted Air Peace’s major operational hubs in Lagos, Abuja and Enugu, effectively paralysing its nationwide network.
“The unions picketed our operations across board. Lagos, Enugu, Abuja, stopping those places, which are our hubs, those places where we do night stops. So they basically grounded all our operations,” he said.
He also questioned why other domestic airlines continued operating despite the unions’ stated intention to picket Nigerian carriers.
“They stated that they were going to picket all Nigerian airlines. However, the likes of Ibom Air, Enugu Air, even Aero, operated flights today. And you solely picked on only Air Peace, disrupting flights, the first flight out of Lagos, Abuja, and Enugu,” he said.
On the issue of unionisation, Whiskey-Osifo claimed that Air Peace employees had deliberately chosen not to belong to the unions.
“The reason why they are singling out Air Peace is that Air Peace staff, number one, don’t want to join the unions. We don’t want to join at all,” he said.
He further alleged that workers had organised a peaceful protest against unionisation but that union members later infiltrated the demonstration, resulting in a confrontation.
“We came out to protest peacefully, but unfortunately, they hampered our operations,” he said.
The unions, however, maintained that workers’ right to organise and belong to trade unions was fundamental and non-negotiable.
AON Seeks Suspension of Picketing
The industrial action came amid efforts by the Airline Operators of Nigeria to mediate between the unions and affected airlines.
According to the NCAA, the AON had appealed to the unions to suspend the picketing to allow discussions with the affected airlines, particularly Air Peace, whose chairman is also a senior executive of the association.
“The AON pleaded with the unions to suspend it while they schedule a meeting, especially with Air Peace management,” Achimugu said.
He added that the unions had been informed that a meeting could take place on Wednesday in an effort to resolve the dispute.
Achimugu also confirmed that the industrial action affected several airlines operating from specific terminals in Lagos and Abuja.
“I know that a number of airlines operating from specific terminals in Lagos and Abuja were disrupted. Take, for instance, in Abuja, a terminal that was shut down; it affected airlines like Air Peace, Aero and a host of others,” he said.
Air Peace Resumes Skeletal Operations
By Tuesday evening, Air Peace announced that it had begun restoring its operations despite the ongoing dispute.
“We are operating flights already. Flights will operate today irrespective of the situation,” the airline said.
Reports indicated that operations had resumed on a skeletal basis, particularly from Lagos, although the disruption caused by the industrial action left uncertainty over the full restoration of the airline’s network.
The dispute has consequently placed fresh focus on the relationship between airline operators, aviation regulators and organised labour, with the resolution of the Ticket Sales Charge controversy and the unionisation dispute expected to determine whether normal operations can be fully restored.
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