Air traffic controllers under the National Air Traffic Controllers’ Association (NATCA) have warned of possible nationwide flight delays, citing worsening safety concerns, infrastructure decay, and poor welfare conditions that they say are threatening Nigeria’s aviation safety system.
In a statement signed by its President, Edino Ilemona Amos, and General Secretary, Umar Fahad, the association said controllers are operating under “severe psychological strain,” outdated communication and navigation systems, and inadequate working tools, all of which it described as unsafe for critical airspace management.
NATCA particularly blamed the continued use of obsolete communication, navigation, and surveillance infrastructure, saying controllers are forced to improvise around technical gaps while warning that no airspace can be safe when personnel operate beyond system limits.
The association also raised concerns over manpower shortages, poor training structures, delayed promotions, and stagnant allowances, noting that many controllers have remained on the same grade level for over a decade while key entitlements have not been reviewed since 2012.
It warned that without urgent government intervention to address welfare, staffing, and infrastructure challenges, Nigeria’s aviation sector could face worsening disruptions, stressing that the situation now poses a direct risk to flight safety and operational stability.