The Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) has threatened that flight operations across Nigeria could face disruption if police action against its officials over last month’s picketing of Air Peace escalates into prolonged detention.
The union’s warning follows an invitation issued to its officials by the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters in Abuja over a complaint allegedly lodged by Air Peace in connection with the August 11 industrial action.
ATSSAN said its officials had been invited to appear before the police over allegations including conspiracy, threatening violence, inciting disturbance of public peace, assault occasioning harm and conduct likely to cause a breach of peace.
Frances Akinjole, general secretary of ATSSAN, said the union would honour the police invitation, with a number of its officers and members expected to appear before investigators.
However, the union warned that the handling of the matter could have far-reaching implications for Nigeria’s aviation industry.
ATSSAN said any prolonged detention of its officials beyond what it considered necessary could provoke consequences that may affect the continuity of air operations nationwide.
The development threatens to reopen tensions between aviation unions and Air Peace barely weeks after the earlier industrial action disrupted flight schedules in Lagos and Abuja, leaving passengers stranded and affecting operations beyond the airline at the centre of the dispute.
Fresh tension over August 11 picketing
The police invitation stems from the industrial dispute of August 11, when aviation unions picketed Air Peace operations in Lagos and Abuja.
The unions had accused the airline of issues involving unpaid statutory aviation charges and alleged restrictions on workers seeking to join aviation unions.
The picketing disrupted flight operations and created operational difficulties across the sector, with passengers left stranded and other airlines also affected by the wider disruption.
The action was subsequently suspended following the intervention of Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation and aerospace development.
But the dispute has now entered a new phase following Air Peace’s decision to complain to the police over the conduct of union members during the picketing.
The complaint led to invitations being issued to officials of ATSSAN and the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE).
ATSSAN’s latest position raises the prospect of another confrontation between organised labour and aviation authorities at a time when the industry is seeking operational stability.
The union said it would cooperate with the police investigation but cautioned against any action that could be interpreted as unnecessarily prolonged detention of its officials.
The threat of a nationwide disruption underscores the strategic position of aviation unions in the operation of Nigeria’s air transport system, where industrial action can quickly affect airlines, airports, passengers and other service providers.
A shutdown or significant disruption would come at a cost to airlines already facing high operating expenses and a challenging business environment, while passengers could again face cancellations, delays and uncertainty.
The unfolding confrontation places the police investigation, Air Peace and the aviation unions at the centre of a dispute with potentially significant consequences for the sector.
While ATSSAN has indicated its willingness to honour the police invitation, its warning that continued detention of union officials could affect nationwide flight operations has heightened concerns over the possibility of renewed industrial action.
