Passengers were stranded at airports in Lagos, Abuja, and Enugu on Tuesday after aviation unions disrupted Air Peace operations over alleged non-remittance of the five percent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) and the airline’s alleged opposition to workers’ unionization.
The National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), and National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), backed by the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress, picketed the airline’s operations, disrupting about 70 flights.
The unions alleged that airlines owed about N25bn in TSC, with Air Peace accounting for about N15bn. They also accused the airline of frustrating workers’ efforts to join unions, which they described as a fundamental labor right.
Air Peace rejected the allegations, insisting that it had remitted the TSC to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). The airline also accused the unions of singling it out despite earlier threats to picket other domestic carriers.
Air Peace spokesperson Efe Whiskey-Osifo said the action effectively grounded the airline because the unions targeted its major hubs in Lagos, Abuja, and Enugu.
The dispute also triggered a separate security incident at Lagos airport after an Air Peace driver allegedly drove a company bus onto the airside during the picketing exercise. The NCAA ordered that the driver be identified and arrested for possible prosecution, saying the vehicle obstructed movement within the airside.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria subsequently towed the vehicle away.
By Tuesday evening, Air Peace said it had begun restoring its flight operations, assuring passengers that flights would resume despite the disruption.
The latest action followed earlier ultimatums issued by aviation unions demanding that airlines settle outstanding TSC obligations. The unions had threatened further industrial action after airlines failed to meet their demands.
