Nigeria’s airlines and passengers are counting the cost of a day-long aviation shutdown after labour unions blocked access to major airport terminals, grounding flights and disrupting business travel in Lagos and Abuja, the country’s largest and third largest cities.
The unions later temporarily suspended the strike, allowing airport operations to resume, but airlines were left dealing with cancelled flights, stranded passengers and a backlog that could take time to clear.
United Nigeria Airlines estimated that the disruption cost it about N492 million in gross revenue, based on 32 scheduled flights and an expected 3,280 passengers at an average ticket price of N150,000. The estimate was made before the strike was suspended.
Air Peace, which operates almost twice as many daily flights as United Nigeria Airlines, also suffered significant disruption. Osifo-Whiskey Efe, spokesperson for Air Peace, said the airline had resumed operations but was still working to clear the backlog of passengers stranded by the action.
The airline, which operates about 70 regional and international flights daily, had cancelled 29 flights as of Tuesday afternoon, with more cancellations possible, Efe said.
