Air Travel Paralysed As NLC, Aviation Unions Shut Airport Terminals, Halt Air Peace Flights

• A coordinated picketing by the NLC, ATSSSAN, TUC, shuts access to Air Peace terminals in Lagos and Abuja, forcing the airline to suspend scheduled departures.

• Hundreds of passengers are stranded as the disruption ripples across Air Peace’s domestic and regional network, throwing travel plans into uncertainty.

• Aviation unions accuse the airline of frustrating workers’ unionisation and withholding statutory ticket sales charges, while Air Peace insists the disruption is beyond its control.

• The latest showdown escalates a long-running dispute between organised labour and domestic airlines, raising fresh fears of prolonged disruption in Nigeria’s aviation sector.

August 11, () — Air travel across Nigeria suffered a major disruption on Tuesday after the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), in collaboration with aviation sector unions, shut down key airport terminals in Lagos and Abuja, forcing Air Peace to halt scheduled flight operations and leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.

The industrial action saw members of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), barricade the entrances to Air Peace departure terminals at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 1 (Alpha and Zulu Terminals) and Terminal 2 in Lagos, as well as the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

The blockade denied passengers, airline personnel and operational vehicles access to the terminals, grounding scheduled departures from the country’s two busiest aviation hubs and triggering widespread disruption across the airline’s route network.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Air Peace apologised to passengers and attributed the disruption to circumstances beyond its control.

“We wish to inform our esteemed passengers and the general flying public of temporary disruptions to our flight operations arising from the picketing of our airline and the ongoing industrial action by members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), and the Trade Union Congress (TUC)”, the airline stated.

It added that the picketing had blocked access to its departure terminals in Lagos and Abuja, making it impossible for scheduled flights to depart.

“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”, the airline said.

Passengers Stranded As Airline Issues Apology

The disruption left hundreds of passengers stranded at airports, with many unable to board scheduled flights for business engagements, medical appointments and family trips.

Air Peace expressed regret over the development and assured customers that it had commenced direct communication with affected passengers.

“Air Peace sincerely apologises to all affected and stranded passengers for the disruption and inconvenience caused by circumstances beyond the airline’s control. Passengers scheduled to travel later today are being contacted and provided with relevant updates as the situation evolves”, the statement added.

The airline said it would continue to monitor the situation and provide operational updates as events unfold.

Air Peace urged passengers to remain patient while it works to restore normal operations as soon as access to the affected airport terminals is regained.

Labour Unions Cite Unionisation, Financial Disputes

The industrial action followed an earlier ultimatum issued by aviation unions, which accused some domestic airlines of preventing employees from freely joining labour unions and failing to remit statutory five per cent Ticket Sales Charges collected on behalf of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

According to the unions, repeated efforts to resolve the issues through dialogue yielded little progress, prompting the decision to picket airline operations.

They also alleged that many workers were intimidated from joining unions of their choice and demanded immediate remittance of outstanding ticket sales charges to enable the implementation of negotiated welfare agreements for aviation workers.