Air Peace alleges N2b loss to disrupted flights

 Air Peace alleges N2b loss to  disrupted flights 

Air Peace Airlines  on Wednesday said  it lost over N2 billion to the disruption of its flight by three aviation unions , whose members carried out picketing on its business operations at the Lagos and Abuja Airports.

Over 85 percent of its daily flights were not operated on account of the industrial action. The carrier operates over 100 flights daily across its route  network.

The carrier said the appalling disruptive activity  by members of   the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) , violated the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)   and Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulation (NCAR)  Security regulation, describing it  as an act of unlawful interference punishable under extant aviation regulations.

Speaking at a briefing in Lagos, its Chief Operating Officer (COO), Mrs Oluwatoyin Olajide , said the airline is considering placing the union members on a  “No Fly List ",  or pushing for their possible  arrest abroad if the matter is taken up appropriately.

She said the union members should be severely cautioned , placed under watch  and advised  never to cross the red lines  again.

Ojajide said the indiscriminate industrial action was unwarranted because the violence, intimidation and disruption meted out on the airline and its employees, is not only  

 deeply disturbing , but  raises fundamental questions that demand answers.

She said the reasons cited by the union members: Five percent Ticket Sales Charge remittance and lack of unionisation of its employees  -  for picketing the airline , are untenable , because the Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has publicly stated that  airlines, and not Air Peace alone, are complying with the directives of the authority  regarding the applicable payment.
Olajide said : "  This therefore raises a fundamental question: if the issue is industry-wide, why was Air Peace singled out for violent and disruptive picketing?
On unionization, over 98 percent  of Nigerian airlines do not have unions. The staff of Air Peace have made it abundantly clear that they do not wish to form any union within Air Peace. This is within their constitutional rights. Air Peace did not stop them. They chose that path. So why this violence meted out on Air Peace?
" It is quite disturbing and curious that the same union members were seen in the videos urging passengers and the flying public not to be flying Air Peace again but the other airlines, the same other airlines that are owing debts to NCAA and the same airlines that are also not Unionised! The Federal Government must investigate this.
" Yesterday, some of our employees were physically assaulted while peacefully expressing that choice, including a female employee who was left bleeding and bruised. We ask: how can workers' rights be defended by violently attacking workers exercising their own constitutional rights?"

The Air Peace COO said the  incident  raises serious questions about airport security, wondering how union members as individuals  were able to gain access to and disrupt operations within a highly controlled airport environment.

She said : " Airports are sensitive national assets, and such violence should never be allowed to occur with impunity. The incident has also caused concern among our international partners and aircraft lessors and raises legitimate questions about confidence in Nigeria's aviation business environment.
The disruption has caused significant financial damage to Air Peace, estimated at over ₦2 billion, while thousands of passengers had their journeys disrupted. Our passengers equally have constitutional rights, including the right to travel without unlawful interference.

" Air Peace has consistently supported Nigerians during difficult times and contributed significantly to the development of the country's aviation industry. It is therefore unfortunate that an airline that has repeatedly stood with the nation should be subjected to such indiscriminate disruption."

Olajide also described the incident as an infraction that should be properly addressed by relevant authorities.
" What happened yesterday was a flagrant disrespect and disregard of extant laws and the subsisting judgement of the Federal High Court of Nigeria obtained on the 26th day of April 2024 by the Staff and Employees of Air Peace against the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC),  National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), the Inspector General of Police and all other unions.
" The judgement declared that it is unlawful and unconstitutional for all these unions to threaten the employees of Air Peace through coercion of their employer, Air Peace Limited, whether directly or indirectly, including through their officers, servants/agents, privies or other third parties, or howsoever to seek to impose membership of the unions upon the employees against their will.
" The court also granted an  order of perpetual injunction  restraining the unions from harassing the employees of Air Peace by any means at their places of work or any other place and to refrain from causing or instigating any breach of the peace likely to occasion harm to the staff and employers or any threat to their lives and property of Air Peace. The court also ordered the police to ensure compliance with this judgement throughout the federation.
" Our position is therefore unequivocal: our employees have the constitutional right to choose, our passengers have the constitutional right to travel, and Air Peace has the right to operate without unlawful interference.
" We call on the Federal Government, security agencies, airport authorities and aviation regulators to conduct a thorough and independent investigation into yesterday's events. We have video evidence and other information that can assist in identifying those responsible for the violence and disruption.
" This is not about being anti-union. It is about constitutional rights, freedom of choice, employee safety, passenger welfare and the rule of law.

" Nigeria's aviation industry is too important to allow such an incident to become a precedent."

Speaking in a telephone interview, former Managing Director of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Captain Roland Iyayi  said the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), is on the side of Air Peace, describing the picketing activity by aviation unions as a complete aberration.

Iyayi, who is President of Topbrass Aviation Limited , said the union members crossed the lines , by violating extant regulation , which has put the industry under global scrutiny.

He said the unions had written the AON of its plans to carry out picketing, but it violated its own protocols by singling out Air Peace .

He said : ' What the unions have done is totally unacceptable. Why single out a particular airline. They planned to carry out the exercise on Air Peace and United Nigeria Airlines, but backtracked and descended on Air Peace. 

" We as an airline umbrella body have written to the NCAA, to ensure that whoever is found to be behind this should be fired and prosecuted. It is a dangerous signal that does not bode well for the aviation sector. If this matter is not addressed properly, it will set a dangerous precedent. Airlines have no contractual relationship with aviation unions."

Meanwhile, the Aviation Safety Round Table has expressed its disapproval over the picketing of airlines by aviation unions.

The group said it  is deeply appalled by the disruptive and selective strike organized by labour unions  in utter disregard of the ongoing intervention of the  Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development.
The group said while it recognizes the unions right to advocate for the welfare of their membership under universally accepted principles, picketing airport terminals over the non remittance of Ticket Sales Charges and Cargo Sales Charges to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority is completely out of order.
It said the enforcement of statutory penalties and the recovery of debts owed to regulatory agencies remain the exclusive statutory mandate of the Federal Government and its empowered institutions, and the Nigerian Labour Congress and its allies have clearly overstepped their bounds.
It further added that rules of engagement and understanding of issues must drive how unions fight or advocate for a cause, not through the use of coercion, intimidation, or disruption.
In a statement the group said :" These actions directly contravene core tenets of Nigerian law designed to protect critical national infrastructure. Under Section 29 of the Civil Aviation Act, all services facilitating safe flight operations, passenger embarkation, and cargo handling within aerodromes are explicitly designated as essential services, strictly prohibiting strikes, lockouts, pickets, blockades, or service disruptions of any kind within regulated aviation facilities.

"Furthermore, pursuant to Section 18 of the Trade Disputes Act, declaring or participating in a strike while a trade dispute is actively undergoing official mediation or before statutory dispute resolution procedures have been exhausted is explicitly illegal.
"Under Nigerian labour jurisprudence, trade union membership is strictly voluntary, and coercing, intimidating, or targeting employees or selecting individual corporate entities for disruptive blockades violates the constitutional freedom of association.
" The ART has maintained severally that disruptive or unbridled labour activism has no place in the aviation sector, which is not only heavily regulated but volatile and sensitive to disruptions.
" We unequivocally stand against picketing at airport terminals and their immediate environs. Travel disruptions are not only distressing for passengers who have paid for the services but send negative signals about Nigerian aviation to potential investors and the international community.
"We also perceive the unions press release threatening to picket airlines owing the Ticket Sales Charges and Cargo Sales Charges and those perceived to be hindering their staff from participating in union activities as not only abusive but arrogant.
"Any airline perceived to be hindering their staff during a strike or picketing should be approached at their corporate head office, not in or around the sensitive airports where other businesses are disrupted.
"Premeditatively singling out Air Peace Airline for disruptive picketing shows clear bias from a group that claims to preach fairness.

"To secure the integrity of the nation's airspace, protect the traveling public, and restore investor confidence, a constructive way forward must be embraced by all parties. Labour unions must immediately halt all blockades and disruptions at airport terminals, ensuring that any grievances regarding internal corporate administration or staff unionization are pursued strictly through appropriate corporate headquarters or legal channels away from sensitive security zones.
"All parties must return to the negotiating table and allow the mediation framework initiated by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development to run its course without coercion.
"Finally, regulatory debt recovery must remain strictly between the regulatory authority and the respective carriers via established legal and administrative mechanisms, insulating the wider traveling public and innocent operators from collateral disruption.
"The ART hereby urges restraint and requests that the unions tow the path of honour by allowing due process for the resolution of disputes by the appropriate authorities rather than resorting to disruptive and unwarranted self help."