After the disruption of Air Peace flights on Tuesday, many industry experts lament that aviation unions have become a disincentive to investment in the sector, writes Chinedu Eze
The National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and the Air Transport Service Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) on Tuesday carried out a picketing exercise and disrupted the operations of Nigeria’s leading carrier, Air Peace.
The exercise carried out at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT), the main operations hub of Air Peace for domestic flight services at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, recorded cancellation of about 80 flights and a loss of over N2 billion.
The picketing targeted at Air Peace, prompted United Nigeria Airlines and Enugu Air to temporarily suspend flight operations in protest. Also in Abuja, the picketing led to delay of flights of other airlines that were not picketed.
Many passengers were stranded both in Lagos and in Abuja due to the picketing and they also incurred personal losses. For example, when the union members disrupted operations at the Lagos airport, it gave rise to traffic jam along airport road from Ikeja, which created undue pressure to travellers going to the domestic terminals at GAT and MMA2.
