Flight operations were disrupted across Nigeria on Tuesday as aviation unions intensified industrial action, with major airlines reporting cancellations and rescheduling while the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) moved to contain the impact on passengers and airport operations.
The disruption followed picketing and barricading of airport terminals by members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), affecting access to terminals in Lagos and Abuja.
Air Peace, Nigeria’s largest airline by fleet size, said its operations had been temporarily disrupted after its terminals were picketed, preventing passengers and flight crews from accessing departure facilities.
The airline said the entrances to its departure terminals at Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 1, comprising the Alpha and Zulu terminals, Terminal 2 in Lagos, as well as the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport terminal in Abuja, were barricaded.
‘The ongoing industrial action has resulted in the barricading of the entrances to our departure terminals at Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 1 (Alpha and Zulu Terminals) and Terminal 2 in Lagos, as well as the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Terminal in Abuja,’ Air Peace management said in a statement.
The blockade restricted access to the terminals and prevented scheduled flights from Lagos and Abuja from departing, leaving passengers stranded and disrupting onward connections across the airline’s network.
A Lagos flight scheduled for 6:30am was among those unable to depart as the labour action took effect.
Air Peace apologised to affected passengers, saying it was contacting travellers scheduled to fly later in the day and providing updates as the situation evolved.
The airline said it continued to monitor developments and would issue further information as necessary.
The disruption also affected Enugu Air, which announced that some of its flights would be rescheduled following the closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, as a result of the industrial action.
The airline said union workers had denied staff access to the airport terminal, forcing a temporary suspension of operations at the airport.
‘Please be informed that due to an ongoing industrial action at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, where union workers are denying staff access into the airport terminal, operations at the airport have been temporarily suspended,’ Enugu Air management said.
The airline advised passengers to check their emails, text messages and official social media platforms for updates before travelling to the airport.
It also asked affected passengers to contact its customer service team for assistance with rebooking and enquiries.
Amid the disruptions, the NCAA appealed to aviation unions to exercise restraint and suspend the industrial action pending the return of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo.
In a statement signed by Chris Ona Najomo, Director General of Civil Aviation, the regulator said it was aware of the impact of the industrial action on passengers and other aviation stakeholders.
The NCAA said Keyamo had been actively working towards resolving the issues that triggered the dispute and urged the unions to sheathe their swords while efforts continued.
According to the regulator, a meeting convened by the minister last week to address the issues could not be held because airline operators failed to honour the invitation.
‘The matter would have been addressed at the meeting convened by the Honourable Minister last week, but the meeting could not hold as the airline operators failed to honour the invitation,’ the NCAA said.
The authority called on all parties to return to dialogue and cooperation, expressing confidence that the dispute would be resolved shortly.
It also sought to calm concerns over aviation safety, assuring passengers that the industrial action had not compromised flight safety oversight.
‘Flight safety remains uncompromised,’ the NCAA said, adding that it continued to exercise its statutory safety oversight responsibilities.
The regulator also apologised for the inconvenience caused to passengers and expressed confidence that normal flight operations would resume as soon as practicable.
FAAN, which is responsible for the management of federal airports, said it was closely monitoring developments and working with aviation agencies, airlines, security agencies and other stakeholders to minimise the impact of the industrial action.
The authority said it recognised the legitimate role of organised labour while supporting efforts by Keyamo and other stakeholders to reach an amicable resolution.
‘In the interim, FAAN is working closely with the relevant aviation agencies, airlines, security agencies and other stakeholders to minimise the impact of the industrial action and ensure that airport operations are not disrupted,’ FAAN said.
The airport authority also disclosed that earlier operational challenges affecting the movement of some flights within the airside environment had been addressed through inter-agency coordination.
It said measures were being sustained to support the orderly continuation of flight operations.
FAAN assured travellers that airports remained safe, secure, functional and accessible, while advising passengers to maintain contact with their airlines for real-time information about their flights.
The industrial action is linked to a dispute involving labour unions and Air Peace over the airline’s relationship with the trade union movement.
A source familiar with operations at Abuja airport said the unions had been engaging Air Peace over its registration or recognition within the relevant aviation trade union structure.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the unions had repeatedly raised the issue with the airline and that the dispute had persisted despite previous engagements.
According to the source, the action was not primarily about flight safety but a labour dispute concerning union recognition and engagement.
However, the source also said the disruption in Lagos was having a knock-on effect on operations in Abuja and other airports because Lagos serves as a major hub for Air Peace’s network.
While the source said the situation at Abuja was not identical to the disruption reported in Lagos, the effects of the Lagos shutdown were being felt across the network as aircraft and crew movements became affected.
Reports of the labour action in Lagos included the disruption of access to airline facilities and airport operations, further complicating the movement of passengers and aircraft.
The latest disruption highlights the exposure of Nigeria’s aviation industry to labour disputes, particularly where industrial action affects access to airport infrastructure rather than only the internal operations of an airline.
For airlines, a prolonged shutdown can create costs beyond cancelled passenger journeys. Aircraft and crew schedules can be thrown out of sequence, leading to cascading delays across multiple routes, while airlines may incur additional accommodation, rebooking, handling and customer compensation costs.
Passengers also face missed connections, additional travel expenses and uncertainty, while airports, ground handlers and other service providers can lose revenue when flight schedules are disrupted.
The concentration of major airline operations around Lagos and Abuja further increases the potential for disruptions at either airport to spread across domestic networks.
The regulatory response by the NCAA and FAAN therefore goes beyond restoring individual flights. It also reflects the need to prevent a labour dispute involving particular operators or unions from developing into a wider disruption to Nigeria’s air transport system.
For the regulator, maintaining safety oversight while allowing legitimate labour negotiations to continue remains critical, particularly as airport access and aircraft movements are affected.
The NCAA and FAAN have consequently urged stakeholders to return to dialogue, while Keyamo’s intervention is expected to provide the platform for resolving the underlying dispute.
Until an agreement is reached, however, airlines have advised passengers to confirm their flight status before heading to the airport, as schedules remain subject to change.