By Mary Idika
A staff member of Air Peace faces potential prosecution after allegedly blocking the Lagos airport runway during a labor union picketing action on Tuesday.
The exercise was led by key aviation unions, including 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).
Aviation unions had previously issued three separate warnings, threatening enforcement against domestic airlines failing to remit the mandatory five per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). Unions also accused several carriers of restricting workers’ rights to join trade unions through fear of discrimination and victimization. Union representatives maintained that Tuesday’s action followed weeks of unheeded calls to resolve these grievances.
During the picketing, an operational driver reportedly drove a large bus onto the airside and abandoned it in protest. The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) subsequently towed the vehicle to restore normal airside operations.
NCAA spokesperson Michael Achimugu confirmed the incident, stating that regulatory and security authorities have ordered the driver’s immediate identification, arrest, and prosecution under relevant civil aviation laws.
In response, Air Peace spokesperson Efe Whiskey-Osifo dismissed the claims, maintaining that the vehicle did not block the runway.
