Nigeria’s largest domestic carrier, Air Peace, has resumed normal flight operations after aviation unions disrupted its services at major airports on Tuesday morning.
The industrial action, which affected the airline’s operations at both the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, left hundreds of passengers stranded and disrupted scheduled flights.
The picketing was jointly carried out by the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), and the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE).
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However, checks at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, on Tuesday evening showed that Air Peace had resumed flight operations.
A ticketing agent at the terminal, Peter Chuka, confirmed the development, saying the unions had withdrawn from the airline’s premises around 3 p.m., after which flight operations gradually resumed.
“Air Peace was picketed in the morning, but the union members left around 3 p.m. It was after they left that Air Peace started operations. I am sure they must have reached an agreement,” Chuka said.
The development brings temporary relief to passengers who had been affected by the disruption, although the broader dispute between the aviation unions and airlines over the remittance of the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) remains unresolved.
The unions had intensified their industrial action over alleged non-remittance of the statutory charge by some airlines, arguing that the failure to remit the funds was depriving aviation agencies of critical revenue required for the provision and maintenance of essential services.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had earlier appealed to the unions to suspend their action and allow further engagement with the Federal Government on the matter.
The authority also urged restraint pending the return of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, who has been involved in efforts to resolve the dispute.