Air Peace Flights Grounded in Lagos and Abuja as Aviation Unions Barricade Airport Terminals
Nigeria's aviation industry is once again facing turbulent times as Air Peace, the country's largest domestic carrier, confirms significant disruptions to its flight operations following an ongoing industrial action by major labour unions. The situation is causing considerable inconvenience to travellers moving through the country's busiest airports, and its ripple effects are being felt by tour operators, corporate travel planners and connecting passengers across West Africa. For African travel professionals, this is a fast-developing story that warrants close attention.
In a public statement, the airline confirmed that the picketing action, led by members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), has led to the barricading of the entrances to its departure terminals. The affected facilities include the Alpha and Zulu terminals at Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal One, as well as Terminal Two in Lagos, and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. With access to these terminals restricted, the departure of scheduled flights has effectively been halted at some of the country's most vital aviation hubs.
According to reports, the industrial action has grounded around 70 flights across Lagos, Abuja and Enugu, leaving many passengers stranded and creating significant knock-on effects across Air Peace's wider network. For a country as large as Nigeria, where domestic aviation plays a crucial role in linking commercial capital Lagos with the federal capital Abuja and other major cities, such disruption carries serious economic and social weight.
Air Peace has issued a sincere apology to affected passengers, describing the situation as one entirely beyond the airline's control. The carrier said passengers booked on flights scheduled for later in the day were being actively contacted with updates as the situation continues to evolve. The airline emphasised that it is closely monitoring the industrial action and will keep travellers informed while thanking them for their patience during what has become an exceptionally challenging period.
The underlying grievances driving the industrial action are worth understanding. The unions have raised two main issues. The first concerns the alleged non-remittance of the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge, a statutory fee that funds important aviation regulatory functions. The second issue centres on claims that the airline has been frustrating workers' attempts to unionise, a practice that unions argue conflicts with international labour standards. These are long-standing points of tension that have now boiled over into visible disruption of commercial operations.
Air Peace is not alone in feeling the impact. Reports indicate that other domestic operators, including Enugu Air and United Nigeria Airlines, have also either temporarily suspended or rescheduled flight operations as a result of the union action. This suggests that the disturbance is not confined to a single carrier but is affecting a wider slice of Nigeria's domestic aviation ecosystem, raising concerns about how prolonged the disruption might become if a resolution is not quickly reached.
In response to the crisis, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has appealed to unions for restraint and urged all parties to return to the negotiating table. The regulator has assured the flying public that flight safety oversight remains fully intact, even as commercial operations face turbulence on the ground. Government intervention efforts are ongoing, and travellers are being encouraged to remain patient while officials work toward a resolution.
For African travel professionals, the current situation carries several important takeaways. Agents handling clients travelling through Nigerian airports should stay in close contact with airlines, monitor updates carefully and prepare flexible alternatives where possible. Corporate travel planners with tight itineraries should build in buffer time and consider contingency plans until normal operations resume. More broadly, the crisis highlights the growing importance of strong labour relations, transparent statutory compliance and constructive dialogue as African aviation continues its ambitious growth journey. How Nigeria manages this moment will offer valuable lessons for other markets across the continent watching closely from afar.
