Aviation unions shut down operations, leaving travellers stranded across Nigeria

A wave of industrial action brought domestic flight operations to a halt on [Day], as aviation workers barricaded departure terminals at Lagos and Abuja airports, leaving thousands of passengers in limbo.

The coordinated strike, led by NUATE, ATSSSAN, and NAAPE, and endorsed by both the NLC and TUC, was prompted by long-standing grievances over casualisation, anti-union practices, and the alleged withholding of statutory levies—particularly the 5% Ticket Sales Charge paid by passengers.

A last‑minute attempt by Minister of Aviation Festus Keyamo to broker a settlement collapsed after airline operators failed to show up for the talks, union leaders confirmed.

The walkout hit several carriers hard, including Air Peace, United Nigeria Airlines, Ibom Air, Enugu Air, and Aero Contractors.

Air Peace issued a public apology to its passengers, while United Nigeria said it cancelled 32 flights to prioritise safety, noting that its entire fleet had been fully booked before the disruption. Enugu Air directed affected customers to monitor their inboxes and social channels for rebooking details.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the chief executive of one affected airline accused the unions of taking the law into their own hands, insisting that the Ticket Sales Charge is a statutory levy that should be collected by the relevant agencies, not through industrial action.

A union official, however, defended the decision to target Air Peace, describing it as a strategic move given the airline’s dominant position in the domestic market. The official also said the picketing had been paused to allow for a review of the next steps.

As passengers remained at the mercy of the standoff, the unions signalled that the dispute could escalate to all remaining domestic airports if the underlying issues are not resolved soon.