Flight operations were disrupted across Nigeria on Tuesday, 11 August 2026, as aviation unions escalated their industrial action, with Nigeria's largest airline Air Peace reporting disruptions after its terminals were picketed in Lagos and Abuja, preventing passengers and flight crews from accessing departure facilities.
Members of the Nigeria Labour Congress, the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, and the Trade Union Congress barricaded access to Air Peace's departure terminals at Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 1 — comprising the Alpha and Zulu terminals — as well as Terminal 2 in Lagos, and corresponding facilities at Abuja's Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport. A video circulating online showed vehicles positioned at the airport, though the exact circumstances surrounding the footage could not independently be confirmed.
The Unions' Grievances
The unions accused Air Peace of owing approximately ₦15 billion in Ticket Sales Charge remittances due to aviation agencies — a figure the airline has disputed — and separately alleged that the carrier had prevented its employees from freely joining trade unions, an allegation that if substantiated would constitute a violation of Nigerian labour law as well as international labour standards on freedom of association.
The industrial action followed the issuance of a three-day strike notice by the unions on 7 August 2026, escalating a dispute that had been simmering since the aviation unions first issued a 14-day TSC ultimatum to all airlines in early July 2026. The Airline Operators of Nigeria rejected the strike, describing it as misguided and warning against any disruption to flight operations that would harm passengers and the sector's already-stressed financial position.
NCAA and FAAN Response
NCAA Director-General Capt. Chris Najomo urged the unions to suspend the industrial action and return to dialogue, pending the return of Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo who was working to resolve the dispute. The NCAA stressed that flight safety had not been compromised and that it continued to discharge its statutory safety oversight responsibilities. FAAN issued a separate statement assuring passengers that airport operations nationwide remained safe, secure, and functional, while working with security agencies, airlines, and stakeholders to minimise the impact of the industrial action.
The NCAA subsequently moved to mediate directly between the unions and airlines, hosting discussions aimed at finding a structured resolution — including a formal acknowledgement of the TSC debts, a realistic repayment timeline, and protections for workers' rights to union membership — that could end the industrial action without either side feeling that its fundamental position had been surrendered.
