Passengers have been left stranded following the shutdown of Air Peace operations at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos by Aviation unions.
The action in Lagos was led 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 the support of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress, TUC.
The unions are protesting allegations of anti-union practices by domestic airlines, as well as the non-remittance of the mandatory five per cent Ticket Sales Charge, TSC, to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA.
According to the Aviation unions and the Airline Operators of Nigeria, AON, the withholding of the funds is affecting the operations of regulatory agencies and undermining the implementation of negotiated Collective Bargaining Agreements, CBAs, for Aviation workers.
The shutdown follows a joint statement by the unions, which relaxed an earlier strike notice issued on August 4th 2026.
Rather than proceeding immediately with a nationwide strike, the unions granted defaulting airlines an additional three-day notice, describing the move as a final demonstration of restraint.
Among their demands is an immediate circular to airline workers affirming their constitutional right to join unions of their choice without fear of termination, victimisation, or discrimination.
The unions are also demanding the immediate remittance of all outstanding five per cent TSC revenues to the relevant aviation agencies to facilitate the implementation of agreed conditions of service for workers.
They further warned that prolonged non-payment of workers’ entitlements could create serious operational risks within the aviation sector, describing the situation as an accident waiting to happen.
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(Editor: Ebuwa Omo-Osagie)
