Normalcy has returned to Nigeria’s major airports following the temporary suspension of picketing by aviation unions, with flight operations resuming at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
Airlines have also begun efforts to clear passenger backlogs caused by Tuesday’s industrial action, although the unions’ dispute with the affected airlines remains unresolved.
The crisis over the payment of the Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) in Nigeria’s aviation industry is set to receive fresh attention as aviation unions and airline operators are expected to meet with the minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development and the director-general of the Department of State Services (DSS).
A staff and media relations officer of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Abuja Airport, Bishop Kunle who spoke to LEADERSHIP, confirmed that normalcy has returned.
According to him, the union did not continue with the picketing on Wednesday and all airlines are currently operating normal activities.
Air Peace, which was among the airlines hardest hit by the picketing, confirmed that it had resumed operations across its network.
The airline’s spokesperson, Efe Whiskey, said flights had commenced despite disruptions at some of its major operational hubs.
“We are operating flights already. Flights will operate today irrespective of the situation,” Whiskey said.
According to him, the unions picketed Air Peace operations in Lagos, Enugu and Abuja, effectively disrupting flights from the airline’s major hubs and affecting its night-stop operations.
Whiskey alleged that Air Peace was specifically targeted because its employees had declined to join the aviation unions.
He said the unions had cited an alleged failure by the airline to remit five per cent TSC, but insisted that the airline had already paid the required charges to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
“We have been paying these unions. We’ve been paying them. So, why did you single out Air Peace?” he questioned.
He maintained that Air Peace had no intention of joining the unions, saying the airline’s position remained unchanged.
According to him, Air Peace workers had previously staged a peaceful protest against unionisation, but the demonstration was allegedly disrupted.
“We came out to protest peacefully, but unfortunately, they hampered our operations,” he said.
The dispute stems from an earlier demand by aviation unions for airlines to settle the alleged outstanding five per cent TSC remittances.
Recall that the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) had issued notices to airlines, giving affected carriers a seven-day ultimatum to settle the alleged outstanding payments.
The unions subsequently commenced picketing in the early hours of Tuesday, disrupting Air Peace operations at the Lagos and Abuja airports and leaving passengers stranded or facing delays.
With the suspension of the picketing, flight operations have now resumed, but the standoff over unionisation and the disputed TSC payments remains a major issue requiring urgent resolution to prevent another disruption to air travel.
Recall that the industrial action by members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) resulted in the barricading of entrances to departure terminals at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 1, comprising the Alpha and Zulu terminals, Terminal 2 in Lagos, and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Terminal in Abuja.
The blockade prevented scheduled flights from departing Lagos and Abuja, leaving passengers stranded and disrupting travel plans across airline networks.
The meeting comes amid a deepening dispute between aviation unions and airline operators over TSC payments and workers’ welfare in the sector.
Speaking on the development, the General Secretary of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), Frances Akinjole, said the unions had been invited to Abuja for a meeting.
“I said we are invited to Abuja. We are going to Abuja tomorrow,” Akinjole said.
According to him, the meeting is expected to be attended by the minister, heads of aviation agencies and the Director-General of the DSS.
He explained that the unions had earlier been invited to a meeting in Abuja last Friday, but the engagement could not proceed as planned after the Airlines Operators of Nigeria (AON) allegedly declined to sit with the unions.
“Now, everybody was seated. And they sent a letter that they could never sit with the union. That was the reason for this action,” he said.
Akinjole said the unions could equally have refused to attend the forthcoming meeting in protest, but chose to participate in the interest of resolving the dispute.
“If we had wanted to do so, we too would have insisted now that we are not attending that meeting tomorrow,” he stated.
He confirmed that the unions would attend the meeting alongside representatives of the aviation agencies and other stakeholders.
According to him, the development that led to the current industrial action stemmed from the airline operators’ failure to participate in the earlier meeting.
“That was the meeting that was summoned last Friday. We were there in Abuja now, waiting for AON. Only for a letter to be brought from them that AON said they can’t sit with the union,” Akinjole said.
He questioned the basis for the airlines’ opposition to engaging with the unions, particularly as workers were being encouraged to join associations.
“Are they not a union? Are they not an association? You have your own association. And you are preventing your workforce from joining an association,” he queried.
Akinjole also dismissed suggestions that the unions were being selective in their actions, insisting that the struggle would be addressed in phases.
“It is in phases. The struggle is in phases. So, nobody should tell us where to start from,” he said.
Explaining why the action initially focused on Air Peace, the ATSSSAN general secretary said the airline had been particularly vocal in the media about the union’s inability to take action.
“It started from Air Peace, but the first question is, which among the airlines was going to the press all the time, saying that we couldn’t do anything? You understand what I’m saying? Was it not Air Peace?” he asked.
“So, why are they not surprised that we started with them?”
He further alleged that Air Peace had one of the largest outstanding TSC obligations and argued that payment of the funds would help address the welfare challenges confronting workers in aviation agencies.
“Then, the second question is, who owes the TSC the most? If only Air Peace had released the fund, that would go a long way in solving the aviation agency’s staff welfare problem,” Akinjole said.
He linked aviation agencies’ inability to fully implement workers’ conditions of service to funding challenges stemming from unpaid TSC revenue.
“We have conditions of service that are unimplementable. Why are they not being able to be implemented? Was it not because of the deliberate act of those we told in the morning?” he queried.
When asked whether the union had effectively taken on the role of a debt collector by pursuing the TSC obligations of airlines, Akinjole responded in the affirmative.
“Yes. Yes. I have just told you something now. Why is our condition of service not being implemented? Because of TSC,” he said.
He, however, clarified that the welfare crisis was not solely attributable to TSC, noting that inadequate funding was also a major factor.
“No, not only TSC. Because of lack of money. And if we know where the money is, we have responsibility,” he stated.
The ATSSSAN official’s comments come amid heightened tensions between aviation unions and airline operators over revenue remittances, workers’ welfare and the implementation of conditions of service.
The unions are expected to use the meeting with the minister, aviation agency heads and the DSS to press their concerns and seek a resolution to the dispute.
Akinjole also spoke strongly about the need to confront what he described as impunity within the sector, questioning whether individuals who believe they are untouchable should be allowed to operate without regard for established rules.
“Who do you think will have the guts to go and take over the runway?” he asked.
When the issue of individuals who allegedly consider themselves untouchable was raised, he said: “That believes that nothing could happen to him. That he’s untouchable.”
