Flights were seriously disrupted in the morning hours at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, on Friday, as air transport workers shut down operations at the facility
The workers were protesting the concession process adopted by the federal government.
Although operations were restored hours later, the sudden shutdown grounded early morning flights, disrupted travel plans, and left many passengers stranded.
A regular user of the airport said the terminal looked unusually busy.
But for aviation workers, the surge in activity is simply the aftermath of the shutdown, which they carried out early in the morning .
They insist the action was triggered by the Federal Government’s decision to go ahead with the signing of a concession agreement with a private firm, and even allowing inventories to be taken at the airport, without prior engagement with the unions on labour and welfare concerns.
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According to union leaders, they have only paused their agitation after the intervention of the Aviation Minister, but they insist that the issues remain unresolved.
The airport management was unwilling to comment. But recalling events from months ago, during the launch of Enugu Air — the Enugu State Government-owned airline — the Aviation Minister had argued that airport concession was necessary, citing the Federal Government’s inability to sustain operational costs.
With flights back in the air and passengers moving again, calm may have returned to the Enugu airport, for now.
However, the unions warn that unless workers’ demands are properly addressed, the concession controversy could once again ground operations, not just in Enugu but across the aviation sector.
(Editor: Ebuwa Omo-Osagie)
