Finance
The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has actually threatened to totally stop flight operations across the country if labour unions duplicate current violent interruptions of airline activities.
This is likewise as the association gotten in touch with the Federal Government and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to include domestic providers in the continuous restoration and rehab of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.
The position was detailed in a communiqué provided at the conclusion of the AON’s General Meeting hung on September 23, 2026, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, where member airline companies jointly assessed present security risks, facilities obstacles, and systemic functional traffic jams in the air travel community.
Read likewise: FG to connect Lagos airports by rail, authorizes $500m MMIA upgrade
Highlighting the continuous upgrade of MMIA in Lagos, the AON applauded the Federal Government and FAAN for purchasing terminal facilities to raise user experience.
The operators firmly insisted that airline companies, as main financiers, crucial stakeholders, and direct operators within the terminal need to be sought advice from at the early architectural and preparation phases.
The association argued that including operators will permit them to contribute useful functional insights relating to traveler motion, terminal circulation, and center design, consequently avoiding style defects that might hurt long-lasting performance.
“While we value the efforts of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and the Federal Government to update centers at the airport and provide Nigerians a befitting facilities, we respectfully demand that airline companies, who are the crucial stakeholders, be brought along at the early phase to contribute their concepts towards the performance and circulation of the airport center so regarding attend to any style defects that might impact performance in future,” the communiqué mentioned.
Dealing with security issues, the AON condemned the violent interruption of airline company operations on August 11, 2026, when members of air travel unions obstructed access to departure terminals and check-in counters at Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminals 1 and 2 in Lagos, in addition to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
The blockade paralyzed Air Peace operations and impacted numerous other providers, leading to physical attacks on airline company personnel, flight cancellations, and across the country guest displacement. Air Peace alone sustained over N2 billion in direct earnings losses throughout 70 affected flights, while United Nigeria Airlines had more than 30 flights interrupted, impacting 13,000 guests.
The airline companies specified that the blockades as “illegal disturbance” under International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Annex 17 triggered a clear caution from the assembly: any future union disturbance targeting a domestic airline company will lead to an instant shutdown of all industrial flights across the country.
“The AON stands unified with Air Peace and all our members in keeping an outright zero-tolerance policy towards all kinds of illegal disturbance to the security of airline company operations,” the body specified. “To this end for that reason, the AON wants to state in unquestionable terms that must the occasions of August 11, 2026, repeat themselves once again versus any domestic airline company, the whole AON member airline companies will instantly close down operations.”
Read likewise: Drainage failure floods MMIA short-term terminal, shuts power grid
The association likewise attended to public criticism surrounding flight hold-ups and cancellations, highlighting that the large bulk of functional disturbances come from elements outside the providers’ control.
The AON laid out 8 main structural difficulties affecting domestic schedules to consist of unfavorable weather condition & apron blockage;
sundown operating constraints; VIP airspace closures; bird strikes and foreign item damage; high air travel fuel expenses; air traffic circulation traffic jams; and sub-optimal terminal devices.
The AON member airline companies all passing a vote of implicit self-confidence in the association’s executive management group.
The body declared its dedication to its constitution and ethical code of conduct, promising to safeguard travelers, staff members, and fleet possessions while driving financial development as crucial drivers of Nigeria’s macroeconomic stability.
Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha
Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is likewise the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the distinguished University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead author on the air travel desk, Ifeoma is accountable and in charge of the 3 weekly air travel and take a trip pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She likewise overseas and modifies all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has actually composed numerous investigative, functions and newspaper article in air travel and company associated problems and has actually been severally chosen for award in the classification of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; among the Nigeria’s the majority of distinguished media awards events. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prominent Nigeria Media Merit Award under the ‘Aviation Writer of the Year’ Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist classification. She has actually gone through numerous journalism trainings by different prominent organisations. Ifeoma is likewise a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.
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