Air Peace blames unions for N2bn losses, tells passengers to sue labour leaders
Air Peace has drawn a clear line in the sand: the unions that grounded its operations are entirely liable for the financial fallout, and any passenger seeking compensation should take their case to labour leaders, not the airline.
Speaking at a press conference in Lagos, the carrier’s Chief Operating Officer, Toyin Olajide, put the cost of Tuesday’s picketing at roughly N2 billion. She argued that the disruption falls squarely under force majeure, an uncontrollable external event, and therefore absolves the airline of any legal or financial responsibility to affected travellers.
“Legally, passengers are not entitled to compensation from Air Peace because what happened was entirely out of the scope of the airline’s operations,” Olajide said. “If passengers insist on compensation through legal channels, the unions that caused this disruption will have to bear the brunt.”
The unions, led by NUATE and ATSSSAN, had justified the industrial action by pointing to unpaid Ticket Sales Charge arrears and restrictions on unionisation. But Olajide turned that argument on its head, noting that virtually every domestic carrier operates with the same non‑unionised workforce and shares a similar debt profile to the NCAA. Only Aero Contractors and Arik Air have unionised staff, she added.
She also cited a recent statement by NCAA Director‑General Chris Najomo confirming that domestic airlines are already repaying the backlog of TSC dues, accumulated during the US‑Iran crisis when aviation fuel jumped from N900 to N3,500 per litre—through a structured repayment plan.
The picketing, Olajide said, went beyond economic damage. She alleged that staff were physically assaulted, with one female employee left bleeding and bruised while trying to enter the terminal. Worse, the action flew in the face of a subsisting Federal High Court judgment obtained by Air Peace employees on April 26, 2024. That ruling explicitly barred the NLC, TUC, and NUATE from coercing workers into union membership or disrupting the airline’s operations, under Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution.
Olajide further warned that blocking airport terminal access constitutes Unlawful Interference under ICAO standards and Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations. She cautioned that individuals identified on security footage could face serious international repercussions, including being placed on global no‑fly lists or arrested abroad under aviation safety conventions.
Air Peace has now called on the Federal Government, the NCAA, and law enforcement agencies to launch an immediate, independent investigation using available video evidence and to prosecute those responsible for the breach.