Domestic airline operated normal flight from Lagos Airport, Muritala Muhammed despite threats by Aviation unions to ground operation of airline. Scheduled flights were operated both at the international wing and the domestic wings of the airport. However, the offices of Nigeria Airspace Management Authority, NAMA and that of Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA were picketed by the unions members who insisted on going ahead with the warning strike despite some unions members backing out of the strike at the last minute. On Sunday night, the Air Transport Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, ATSSAN, and Association of Nigerian Aviation Professional, ANAP called on their members not to participate in the planned strike.
Recall the Airline Operators of Nigeria, AON, had also on Sunday evening called off their planned suspension of flights which was billed to take effect from Monday 9th. The airline operators said they have been prevailed upon by the federal government, including the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika and other stakeholders to suspend their planned action. The federal government had promised to intervene and look into the problem of current high cost of aviation fuel. The leadership of the House of Representatives had earlier held a meeting with the airlines, Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPC and the independent marketers of aviation fuel over the escalating cost of aviation fuel. The airline operators had also asked the federal government to grant them licence to import aviation fuel. The request, according to sources in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, is being looked into.
Meanwhile, Flight operations at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, continued on Monday following the withdrawal of the earlier threat to shut down operations in airports across the country. A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu who monitored activities at the airport, reports that as at 12 noon, Air Peace and Ibom Air landed at the facility from Lagos. The two flights also took off to Abuja with few passengers. Recall that the management of Air Peace had, in a tweet on May 8, assured the flying public of the restoration of its flight operations across the country.
The tweet read in part “This is to inform the public that the Airline Operators of Nigeria has withdrawn its planned shutdown of operations as a result of government’s promises to urgently intervene in the aviation fuel crisis and immense consideration for the flying public. Air Peace, has, therefore restored its flight operations while the operators engage further with the government,” it stated. Passengers have expressed relief that the expected flights disruptions yesterday by both the aviation unions and airline operators did not take place. Alhaji Musa Momoh who spoke to journalist at the domestic terminal of the airport, praised the airline operators for listening to the pleas of the government and stakeholders. He said “I thank the airline owners for reasoning with us. How could I have gone to Kano today to keep an appointment there. The roads are not save and the distance is long. I pray the government will assist the airlines to solve this fuel problem.”
Another passenger, who said she was on her way to Abuja also praised the airline operators. ” We the passengers are always at the receiving end of every problem and flight disruptions at the airport. The airline operators can actually pass this high cost of aviation fuel to us ,we the passengers and those of us who can pay will pay. I thank them for crying out and not just increase tickets prices to accommodate the high cost of fuel,” she said.
