Hundreds of passengers have been left stranded at Nigeria’s major aviation hubs after joint labor unions shut down operations of the country’s largest carrier, Air Peace, over alleged anti-union practices and unremitted statutory charges.
The coordinated industrial action, executed early Tuesday by the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), and the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE)—with backing from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC)—halted departure schedules at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
Union officials barricaded access to departure halls, including Terminals 1 (Alpha and Zulu) and Terminal 2 (MMA2) in Lagos, preventing check-in staff and passengers from accessing counters.
The escalation follows an initial warning notice issued by the labor unions on 4 August 2026, which gave defaulting domestic carriers a final ultimatum to address worker representation and statutory debt issues.
Unions accuse Air Peace management of obstructing staff from freely joining trade unions of their choice, alongside failing to remit the mandatory 5 percent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) collected from passengers on behalf of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
In a joint statement justifying the picketing, union leaders emphasized that repeated dialogue had failed to secure compliance:
“The action became necessary after our efforts to resolve the issues through dialogue failed to produce a satisfactory outcome. Air Peace has continued to prevent workers from freely joining trade unions despite repeated engagements to secure recognition of workers’ constitutional rights to freedom of association.
“The withholding of ticket sales charges directly impairs the operations of aviation regulatory agencies and halts the implementation of negotiated Collective Bargaining Agreements for aviation workers.”
Responding to the operational paralysis, Air Peace issued a statement apologizing to affected passengers while describing the disruption as an external blockade beyond its immediate control.
“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,” the airline’s management stated.
“The blockade has restricted access to these terminals, preventing the departure of scheduled flights from Lagos and Abuja. Consequently, passengers scheduled to travel across our network have been significantly affected by the disruption to flight operations.”
Tensions escalated further at the Lagos airport when reports emerged that Air Peace vehicles were deployed near airside corridors and taxiways in a retaliatory move to obstruct aircraft movement, temporarily threatening operations for other domestic carriers.
Aviation Ministry and Regulator Intervene
In response to the growing chaos across domestic terminals, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) issued an emergency appeal urging labor unions to suspend the picketing and allow administrative resolution.
The NCAA noted that Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, is actively engaging all stakeholders to resolve the operational impasse, while reassuring the travelling public that flight safety oversight across Nigerian airspace remains uncompromised.
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