EXCLUSIVE: Air Peace Employee Drives Bus Onto Lagos Airport Runway To Block Other Airlines From Flying Amid Labour Dispute
EXCLUSIVE: Air Peace Employee Drives Bus Onto Lagos Airport Runway To Block Other Airlines From Flying Amid Labour Dispute
The unions were protesting unresolved issues involving workers’ unionisation and alleged financial obligations by airline operators to aviation agencies.
An Air Peace staff member on Tuesday drove an official bus onto the runway of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, in an apparent move to prevent other airlines from operating after aviation unions commenced picketing of the airline over unresolved labour issues, SaharaReporters has learnt.
The dramatic development disrupted flight operations at Nigeria’s busiest airport, leaving passengers stranded for hours and forcing the suspension of flights after the Air Peace bus was reportedly positioned on the runway.
The incident occurred after the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), backed by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), commenced picketing of Air Peace in the early hours of Tuesday.
The unions were protesting unresolved issues involving workers’ unionisation and alleged financial obligations by airline operators to aviation agencies.
However, the industrial action took a dramatic turn when Air Peace staff moved an official bus onto the airport runway, effectively preventing aircraft from operating.
Sources familiar with the development told SaharaReporters that the action followed the unions’ decision to allow some airlines to continue their operations while stopping airlines allegedly owing outstanding dues.
One of the sources said the unions had allowed airlines that had met their obligations to operate, while Air Peace was among the airlines affected by the industrial action.
“The unions allowed some airlines that had paid the dues to operate, but they shut down others, including Air Peace, which has been notorious for not paying these dues,” the source alleged.
The source said Air Peace management became unhappy after seeing other airlines continue their operations while its flights remained grounded.
“They were angry that other airlines were allowed to operate while Air Peace was shut down. That was when the staff decided to take the bus onto the runway and block the entire operation,” the source said.
Another source familiar with the development alleged that the airline’s management had over time acted with impunity because of its perceived political connections and confidence that it would receive backing from the Presidency.
“Air Peace management has always acted with impunity because they believe the Presidency will back them. But when they realised that other airlines were operating, they decided that if they could not operate, nobody else should operate,” the source alleged.
According to the source, the decision to move the bus onto the runway was deliberate and went beyond the immediate dispute between Air Peace and the aviation unions
“They drove the official bus onto the runway to stop the other airlines from taking off. Some aircraft were already on the runway or preparing to take off before the Air Peace bus was brought in,” the source said.
Photographs and videos obtained exclusively by SaharaReporters showed aircraft on or around the runway as the disruption unfolded.
The sources said some aircraft had already moved onto the runway or were preparing for departure when the Air Peace bus was reportedly positioned in the area.
“Passengers were already inside the aircraft and some planes were ready to take off. The moment the bus was put there, everything stopped. Passengers had to come down, and flights were disrupted,” another source said
The source alleged that the action was aimed at forcing a wider shutdown of airport operations
“What they did was not just to stop Air Peace flights. They blocked the runway so that other airlines could not operate either. That was why the whole airport was affected,” the source said.
Another source described the development as an escalation of the dispute between Air Peace and the aviation unions.
“The unions were picketing Air Peace because of the issues they had with the airline. But instead of allowing the process to continue, Air Peace staff took the bus to the runway. That action affected everybody, including airlines that were not part of the dispute,” the source said
The runway incident occurred against the backdrop of a wider disagreement between aviation unions and airline operators over workers’ rights and alleged non-remittance of aviation-sector revenue.
In an earlier interview with SaharaReporters, NUATE Chairman in the Federal Capital Territory, Comrade Ahmed Abdul Yusuf, alleged that airline operators under the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) had withheld about ₦25 billion in Ticket Sales Charges meant for aviation agencies.
Yusuf said the money represented the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge collected from passengers and meant to be remitted to relevant aviation agencies.
“They withheld it, amounting to the tune of N25 billion. So how do you want the industry to be sustainable? How do you want workers’ welfare in these agencies to survive?” Yusuf asked.
He added: “How do you think they can meet up with the welfare and running cost of these agencies without remitting to all these agencies
According to Yusuf, the revenue issue was one of the major reasons behind the unions’ action.
He said the withheld funds were needed by aviation agencies for their operations, development and workers’ welfare.
The union chairman also said the dispute involved the alleged refusal of some airline operators to allow their employees to join trade unions.
He argued that airline owners had exercised their constitutional right to establish the AON while allegedly denying workers the same right.
“And you know by Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, it gives the right to freedom of association, which they did as Airline Operators of Nigeria, AON,” Yusuf said.
“Then in the reverse, they are supposed to allow the workers to be unionised; they denied them their rights.”
Yusuf also cited International Labour Organisation Convention 87, which guarantees freedom of association and the right of workers to organise.
He rejected allegations that the unions had resorted to violence during the picketing exercise.
“There wasn’t anything like that. They were the ones that were trying to be violent because we were picketing them,” he said.
He maintained that the dispute was not simply between Air Peace and the unions but concerned the wider relationship between airline operators and aviation workers.
“It’s not just all about airports, it’s all about airline operators of Nigeria,” Yusuf said.
He further argued that airline operators had a collective platform through the AON while aviation workers were being denied a similar opportunity.
“We are professionals and all we are trying to do is to… They are working in bondage, so we are trying to bring them out of it,” he said.
“And also let them understand that their right to freedom of association has been denied. That’s just it.”
The decision to place a vehicle on an active airport runway could also attract serious legal and regulatory scrutiny because Nigerian aviation and criminal laws prohibit unauthorised interference with aircraft movement and aerodrome operations.
Section 459A of the Criminal Code Act provides that any person who unlawfully obstructs, alters or otherwise hinders the movement of an aircraft in motion on or over an aerodrome commits a misdemeanour and may be liable to imprisonment for up to two years.
The supplied legal framework also notes that a parallel provision exists under Section 472 of the Penal Code applicable in Northern Nigeria.
The Civil Aviation Act 2022 contains additional provisions dealing with trespass and interference at aerodromes.
Section 75 of the Act provides penalties for trespass on land forming part of an aerodrome, subject to the statutory requirements.
Other provisions of the Act address conduct capable of interfering with aviation safety and disrupting aerodrome services.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations 2023 also expressly prohibit persons from obstructing or interfering with the authorised use of a certified aerodrome.
The regulations further prohibit interference with aerodrome employees carrying out their duties and unauthorised activities within restricted airport areas.
