Owners and operators of airlines plying Nigeria’s airspace under the auspices of the Airline Operators of Nigeria, AON, have sounded words of caution to the workers under the aegis of Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, ATSSSAN, and the National Union of Air Transport Employees, NUATE, to desist from their threat to disrupt domestic airline operations and not manufacture crises.
The AON stated that it had no transactional relationship whatsoever with these unions on this matter and added that “to the best of our knowledge, they (the unions) do not speak for, nor on behalf of, the regulatory authority, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA.
Airline operators are of the opinion that, ”those behind these threats have been misinformed, and we urge them to seek facts from the appropriate quarters before taking any action capable of inflicting needless hardship on the traveling public”.
The AON in its media statement reiterated that, “Nigerian airlines are already operating under conditions that threaten their survival” such as “the cost of aviation fuel and the multiple charges they pay have pushed them to a breaking point”.
The statement noted that “the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has confirmed what AON has repeatedly said, which is that Nigeria has one of the most expensive aviation charges globally”.
The operators described their current working environment as “suffocating the industry and is not the time for distractions dressed up as agitation”.
AON claimed that as a body, “we have direct engagement Channels with NCAA on anything pertaining to our relationship and issues as the industry regulator, as it is the industry standard world over and that engagement continues in good faith”.
It stated without ambiguity that “any individual or group that disrupts airline operations or endanger the safety of the flying public based on this particular threat will be held responsible for the consequences. We therefore call on appropriate authorities to please take note”.
AON members as patriotic Nigerians and legitimate Investors in Nigeria’s economy and contributors to the economic development of Nigeria under President Ahmed Bola Tinubu GCFR remain fully committed to the safety and seamless travel experience of all Nigerians, and we will not be distracted by threats, misinformation, or manufactured crises.
The two unions had warned last Tuesday, 28th July 2026, that upon the expiration of the seven-day ultimatum, which was the last stage of the picketing procedure, the unions would not hesitate to intervene.
The unions claimed in their statement that in view of the recalcitrant posture of the defaulting airlines, “we can no longer helplessly fold our hands and allow the safety of our airspace to remain compromised”.
Hence, the unions declared thus, “We hereby issue a 7-Day Notice to every TSC defaulter to remit the total debt owed to the Agencies; failure to do so will result in our Unions’ concrete actions at their various premises”.
Both unions highlighted the consequence of continued denial of government agencies their statutory revenue line, thus “the Aviation Agencies remain starved of the required funds to keep our sky safe”.
Their statement added, “the Conditions of Service of our members in the various agencies continue to be jeopardised because of the non-remittance of the TSC. This unnecessary demotivation factor to the air transport worker is a security and safety risk”, the statement noted.
Succinctly put, the latest and last condition, which is the seven (7)- day ultimatum, would also expire on Tuesday, 4th of August 2026.
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