Domestic airlines have resumed flight operations after aviation unions suspended their industrial action over a dispute concerning the remittance of the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge.
The disruption had affected flights and access to terminals at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, leaving passengers stranded and forcing airlines to cancel scheduled services.
Osifo-Whiskey Efe, spokesperson for Air Peace, told TheCable that the airline had resumed operations but was working to clear the backlog of passengers affected by the disruption.
Efe said Air Peace, which operates about 70 regional and international flights daily, had cancelled 29 flights as of Tuesday afternoon, with further cancellations possible.
“We are trying to see how many flights we can operate with the amount of passengers who have been waiting at the airport,” Efe said.
“We have a flight in our programme that we are supposed to operate with at least 70 flights a day. At the moment, we have cancelled 29 and counting. So we don’t know how much of our flights will be cancelled today.”
Asked whether the unions had suspended the industrial action, Efe said the unions announced at the airport that the action had been temporarily suspended. “Yes, they stated that it has been suspended,” he said.
“Based on the announcement that they made at the airport, they stated that they will continue tomorrow. That they are done with their first phase, which is Air Peace, and they will come back for the other airlines, which will be communicated in due course. We don’t know which airline they want to picket.”
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United Nigeria Airlines also announced the resumption of its flight operations following the suspension of the industrial action.
In a statement, the airline said its scheduled morning flights had been affected by the disruption. “Please note that our scheduled morning flights were impacted. We are working to ensure that all affected passengers are accommodated and reunited with their destinations as soon as possible,” the statement read.
The airline advised passengers seeking updates on their flights or further assistance to contact its customer service team.
Earlier, domestic airlines suspended flight operations after aviation unions commenced industrial action over the dispute concerning the remittance of the five per cent TSC.
The disruption affected access to terminals at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
Chris Najomo, director-general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority had appealed to the unions to suspend the industrial action and embrace dialogue and cooperation.
Najomo said the matter could have been addressed at a meeting convened by Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation and aerospace development, the previous week. However, the meeting could not hold because airline operators failed to honour the invitation.
The industrial action came days after the Airline Operators of Nigeria warned aviation unions against disrupting flight operations over the TSC dispute.
The airline operators said domestic carriers were already operating under conditions that threatened their survival, citing the high cost of aviation fuel and multiple charges imposed on operators.
The Cable
