Airlines mull flight resumption as labour suspends strike

Flight operations are set to resume as labour unions have temporarily suspended the strike for one week.

This is coming after the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) suspended their industrial action – over a lack of consensus on a new minimum wage and the hike in electricity tariff – for one week.

A visit by BusinessDay to the airport showed unions in the aviation industry have dismantled all barricades at the domestic wings of the airport, allowing both people and vehicular movement to resume.

Although the airport environment remains relatively deserted following the strike’s suspension, operators are optimistic that some passengers will be flown today, gradually reducing the backlog of passengers scheduled for Monday and Tuesday flights.

Airline operators, who anticipated the strike’s suspension are preparing to restart flight operations.

Related News

Ocheme Aba, the General Secretary of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), confirmed the end of the strike, stating that all members have been mobilized back to their offices

“Due to the agreement with the presidency, the strike will be relaxed for one week starting from now to enable the tripartite committee concluded deliberations on the minimum wage negotiation so, flight operations will resume now, have resumed actually because all the blockages have been removed”

Normal activities at the airport are expected to fully resume by Wednesday

Labour unions in Nigeria downed tools on Monday to register their grievances over the hike in electricity tariff and lack of consensus on a new minimum wage.

The development led to several flight cancellations across Nigeria as unions as aviation unions shut down several airports across the country.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.