Nigeria’s commercial airline, Air Peace and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) have separately reacted to the ongoing individual action by aviation labour unions which disrupted flights in Lagos and Abuja.

While Air Peace apologised to passengers affected by the disruption of its flight operations, NCAA appealed to aviation labour unions to suspend their industrial action and embrace dialogue to resolve the dispute.

The reactions followed the picketing of Air Peace operations by aviation unions on Tuesday, which blocked access to the airline’s departure terminals at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

Air Peace said the action prevented scheduled flights from departing from both cities, leaving passengers stranded and disrupting its operations across the country.

In a statement, the airline said members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) barricaded the entrances to its departure terminals at Terminal 1, comprising the Alpha and Zulu Terminals, and Terminal 2 in Lagos.

The blockade also affected access to the airline’s departure terminal at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

“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 said.

The airline said the blockade had restricted access to the terminals and prevented scheduled flights from departing from Lagos and Abuja, significantly affecting passengers travelling across its network.

“Air Peace sincerely apologises to all affected and stranded passengers for the disruption and inconvenience caused by circumstances beyond the airline’s control,” it added.

The carrier said passengers scheduled to travel later in the day were being contacted and provided with relevant updates as the situation evolved.

Reacting to the development, the NCAA called on the unions to “sheathe their swords” and exercise restraint while efforts continued to resolve the dispute.

The appeal was contained in a Tuesday statement signed by the NCAA Director-General, Captain Chris Najomo, who said the authority was aware of the industrial action and its impact on passengers and other aviation stakeholders.

Najomo said the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, was actively working to resolve the issues and urged all parties to return to dialogue.

According to the NCAA, the dispute would have been addressed at a meeting convened by the minister last week, but the meeting could not hold because airline operators failed to honour the invitation.

The regulatory authority appealed to the unions to suspend the action pending the minister’s return, expressing confidence that the issues would be resolved and normal flight operations restored.

“We appeal to all parties to embrace dialogue and cooperation. We are confident that the matter will be resolved shortly and normal flight operations will resume as soon as practicable,” the NCAA said.

The dispute centres largely on the alleged non-remittance of the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge collected by airlines from passengers and remitted to the NCAA for distribution among aviation regulatory and safety agencies, including the NCAA, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency and Nigerian Meteorological Agency.

ATSSSAN and the National Union of Air Transport Employees, NUATE, have alleged that some domestic airlines owe billions of naira in unremitted ticket sales charges, which they said had affected the financial capacity of aviation agencies to carry out their responsibilities.

The unions had earlier issued a 14-day notice over the matter before activating a final seven-day ultimatum on July 28, warning that failure to address the outstanding obligations could lead to disruptions.

Air Peace also became a target of the unions over allegations that it had frustrated workers’ efforts to unionise.

The unions, backed by the NLC and TUC, had on August 4 announced plans to picket the airline and warned that they were prepared to commence industrial action without further notice.

However, the Airline Operators of Nigeria, AON, opposed any disruption of airline services, arguing that airlines have no direct transactional relationship with the unions regarding the Ticket Sales Charge.

The operators’ body also faulted what it described as misinformation surrounding the dispute and highlighted the financial pressures confronting domestic airlines, including rising aviation fuel costs and multiple industry charges.

Meanwhile, the NCAA assured passengers that flight safety remained uncompromised, stressing that it continued to exercise its statutory safety oversight responsibilities.

The authority also regretted the inconvenience caused to travellers and appealed for patience and understanding as efforts continued to resolve the dispute.