Passengers were stranded in Lagos, Abuja and Enugu on Tuesday as aviation unions grounded Air Peace flights over allegations of non-remittance of ticket sales charges and interference with workers’ unionisation.
The industrial action, involving the National Union of Air Transport Employees, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria and National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, disrupted about 70 flights.
The unions alleged that airlines owed about ₦25 billion in five per cent Ticket Sales Charges, with Air Peace accounting for about ₦15 billion.
They also accused Air Peace of preventing its workers from joining aviation unions.
Air Peace denied the allegations, insisting that it had remitted the five per cent charge to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and that its workers had chosen not to belong to the unions.
Meanwhile, the NCAA said an Air Peace driver could face prosecution after allegedly driving a large bus onto the airside during the picketing exercise.
The authority said the vehicle obstructed airport operations and ordered that the driver be identified and arrested.
Air Peace denied that the bus blocked the runway.
The airline later said it had begun restoring its operations, although flights were initially operating on a skeletal basis.
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