ATSSSAN Rejects Air Peace Petition, Cooperates with Police Investigation

The Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) has dismissed the petition filed against it by Air Peace, describing the airline's allegations as lacking merit.

Union officials honoured a police invitation on Wednesday to respond to the petition, which stems from the industrial action on August 11 that halted Air Peace operations at Lagos and Abuja airports. The protest was triggered by the airline's alleged failure to remit the statutory five percent Ticket Sales Charge to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

In a statement to aviation workers, ATSSSAN Secretary-General Francis Akinjole confirmed the union's cooperation with the Nigeria Police, noting that the airline's petition also named the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the NCAA, and the Airport Police Command.

"We left the Police Headquarters about three hours ago after stating our version of the occurrence of August 11 from our own perspective," Akinjole said. "The police promised to have similar interactions with every other person or organisation mentioned in the petition, including Air Peace itself."

He added: "It was ridiculous that the Air Peace petition accused the unions, FAAN, NCAA, the police airport command and almost everyone in the industry of one thing or the other."

The petition followed an earlier incident in which FAAN towed five Air Peace buses into police custody for obstructing airport operations.

Akinjole said the police may convene a joint meeting of all parties to resolve the matter, given the strategic importance of the aviation sector.

"We were appealed to by the police to maintain peace," he said.

He commended union members for their resolve, describing them as "the true heroes and heroines of this struggle."

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