Nigerian Flight Deck Travel and Business Reportage
FOLLOWING today’s strike by the Nigeria Labour Congress ( NLC) and the Trade Union Congress( TUC), Air Peace says it has lost over N60million including destruction of property at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT)
Nigerianflightdeck.com earlier reported losses for airlines at the GAT but hard hit was domestic carrier Air Peace which due to the disruption commenced their own flight by 11 due to the length of the strike.
Barrister Allen Onyema, the Air Peace Chairman who lamented what happened was perplexed that Air Peace was singled out as the disruption did not affect other airlines in the terminal.
He said because of the disruption the airline might have to fly late into the next day as they would have to commence the day light operations to ensure that those flights go.
Reports gathered by Nigerianflightdeck.com from a credible source is that the unions stormed the GAT in their numbers disrupting the activities there.
Counters of some airlines were seen shut as they groaned following the impact of the disruption.
However, Nigerianflightdeck.com also learnt that the same treatment was not meted on the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 2(MMA2) operated by Bi-Courtney Aviation services Limited as flights from there operated normally without hitches.
With what has happened flights into airports that can only operate visual services like Owerri, Benin, Ondo State will be affected.
The unions which were around the GAT for over 4 hours were said by some airlines to have wreaked havoc on their operations.
Corporate Communication Manager, Air Peace, Chris Iwarah who spoke to Nigerianflightdeck.com said the situation was sad and unfortunate and is unfair to the airline.
” it is sad and with what the unions have done, it affects all our operations. As I speak to you because we did not follow our schedule we may be unable to do our late flights into airports like Owerri, Benin, Ondo because the landing on those airports are visual and not instruments.”
” We are not against the union’s strike but they can carry out their industrial action without using it to affect the private businesses of others.”
Passengers who were affected by the union’s actions did not find it funny however stressing that the unions were only thinking about them not everyone.
“What is wrong with these unionists?” A passenger who simply wanted to be identified as Bertha said.
“If they were that intent on crippling the country they should have gone to the motor parks to stop vehicles from traveling out of the state or those ‘danfo’ from moving. Instead they are here and I am missing my flight,” she said.
Media Manager of Arik Air, Adebanji Ola who also spoke to our correspondent, said the unionists disrupted their counters briefly before moving on.
He however said, flights have resumed and Arik’s services gave commenced normally.
