Normal flight operations have resumed at Nigeria’s major airports after aviation unions suspended their picketing of airline operators, easing disruptions that left hundreds of passengers stranded and delayed.

Operations resumed on Wednesday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, after unions called off the industrial action that disrupted flights the previous day.

The development has also triggered efforts by affected airlines to clear passenger backlogs, although the dispute over the payment of the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC), workers’ unionization and welfare remains unresolved.

A staff and media relations officer with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) at the Abuja airport, Bishop Kunle, confirmed that normal operations had resumed.

He said the unions did not continue with the picketing on Wednesday and that airlines were operating normally.

Air Peace, which bore the brunt of Tuesday’s action, also confirmed that it had resumed flights across its network.

The airline’s spokesperson, Efe Whiskey, said flights had commenced despite disruptions at some of its major operational hubs.

“We are operating flights already. Flights will operate today irrespective of the situation,” Whiskey said.

He disclosed that the unions had picketed Air Peace operations in Lagos, Enugu and Abuja, disrupting flights from the airline’s major hubs and affecting its night-stop operations.

Whiskey alleged that Air Peace was singled out because its employees had declined to join the aviation unions.

The unions, however, have maintained that the action was linked to alleged outstanding five per cent TSC remittances by airlines.

Whiskey insisted that Air Peace had already paid the required charges to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

“We have been paying these unions. We’ve been paying them. So, why did you single out Air Peace?” he asked.

He also maintained that the airline had no intention of joining the unions, saying its position remained unchanged.

The dispute escalated after the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) issued notices to airlines demanding payment of alleged outstanding TSC obligations.

The unions subsequently commenced picketing early Tuesday, barricading entrances to departure terminals at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 1, including the Alpha and Zulu terminals, Terminal 2 in Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

The action prevented scheduled flights from departing Lagos and Abuja, leaving passengers stranded and disrupting travel plans.

Minister, DSS DG to Meet Unions, Airlines

The temporary suspension of the picketing comes ahead of a meeting between aviation unions, airline operators, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, heads of aviation agencies and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS).

The meeting is expected to address the TSC dispute, workers’ welfare and the broader disagreement over unionization in the aviation sector.

ATSSSAN General Secretary, Frances Akinjole, confirmed that the unions had been invited to Abuja for the meeting.

“I said we are invited to Abuja. We are going to Abuja tomorrow,” Akinjole said.

He explained that the unions had previously attended a meeting convened in Abuja but that the engagement failed after the Airlines Operators of Nigeria (AON) allegedly declined to sit with the unions.

According to him, the unions could have similarly declined the new invitation but decided to attend in the interest of resolving the dispute.

“If we had wanted to do so, we too would have insisted now that we are not attending that meeting tomorrow,” he stated.

Akinjole defended the unions’ decision to begin the action with Air Peace, saying the airline had been particularly vocal in the media about the unions’ inability to take action.

He also alleged that Air Peace had one of the largest outstanding TSC obligations and argued that remitting the funds would help address welfare and funding challenges facing aviation agencies.

“It is in phases. The struggle is in phases. So, nobody should tell us where to start from,” he said.

The union official linked the inability of some aviation agencies to fully implement workers’ conditions of service to funding challenges, while acknowledging that TSC was not the only source of the problem.

Dispute Still Unresolved

Despite the resumption of flights, the underlying disagreement between aviation unions and airline operators remains unresolved.

The unions are pressing for payment of alleged outstanding TSC obligations and improved workers’ welfare, while airline operators have challenged aspects of the unions’ demands and their approach to enforcing them.

The forthcoming meeting with the minister, aviation agencies and the DSS is therefore expected to provide an opportunity for the parties to negotiate a lasting solution.

For passengers, the immediate priority is the restoration of normal schedules and the clearance of delays caused by Tuesday’s disruption.

However, without a resolution of the dispute, the possibility of further industrial action remains a concern for Nigeria’s aviation sector.