Air Peace has accused aviation unions of breaching a subsisting Federal High Court injunction following Tuesday’s industrial action which turned violent, leaving a female employe bleeding and costing the carrier over N2 billion in damages.
The airline’s Chief Operating Officer, Oluwatoyin Olajide, who spoke at a media parley Wednesday in Lagos, described the disruption of August 11, 2026 as an act of intimidation against Air Peace staff and passengers, and a “flagrant disrespect” of a perpetual court order that unions were legally bound to obey.
Olajide informed aviation reporters that the picketing was in respect of a judgment obtained on April 26, 2024 by Air Peace staff against the Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the National Union of Air Transport Employes (NUATE), the Inspector-General of Police and other unions.
That judgment, she said, had ruled that it was unlawful and unconstitutional for the unions to compel Air Peace employes against their will to be members of the union. She said the court equally granted a perpetual injunction restraining the unions from molesting Air Peace staff at their workplace or anywhere and ordered the police nationwide to enforce compliance.
“What happened was a flagrant disrespect and disregard for existing laws and the subsisting judgment of the Federal High Court, and the conduct also breached ICAO and Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (NCAR),” Olajide said.
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The aviation unions in Nigeria have cited two main reasons for their decision to picket airlines. First, the airlines’ indebtedness to the NCAA for 5% Ticket Sales Charge (TSC)
Secondly, non-unionization of employes of airlines in Nigeria. The Director General, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, has publicly stated that the airlines, and not just Air Peace, are complying with the directives of the NCAA on the applicable payment on the 5% TSC.
“This goes to the root of the issue of why Air Peace was singled out for violent and disruptive picketing when the issue affects the entire industry. Unionization Over 98% of Nigerian airlines do not have unions. Air Peace staff have made it loud and clear that they do not want to form any union in Air Peace. They have a right to do that. It is constitutional. Air Peace didn’t hold them back. That way they went. But why this violence meted out on Air Peace?
“It is quite disturbing and curious that the same union members were seen in the videos urging passengers and the flying public not to be flying Air Peace again but the other airlines, the same other airlines that are owing debts to NCAA and the same airlines that are also not Unionized! The Federal Government has to investigate this.
“Yesterday some of our employes were physically attacked while peacefully exercising that right of choice, including one female employe who was left bleeding and bruised. We ask: how do you defend workers’ rights by violently attacking workers exercising their own constitutional rights?
The incident also raises serious questions about airport security. How did they get in and screw up a tightly controlled airport? Airports are sensitive national assets and such violence should never be allowed to go unpunished. The incident has also raised concerns among our international partners and aircraft lessors and raises the question of confidence in the aviation business environment in Nigeria.”
Thousands of passengers affected as Olajide says Tuesday’s disruption was for over N2 billion. She said the incident had also caused concern among the airline’s international partners and aircraft lessors, which could undermine confidence in Nigeria’s aviation business environment.
“Disruption has led to huge financial damage to Air Peace estimated at over N2 billion while thousands of passengers had their journeys disrupted,” she said. “Just as our passengers have constitutional rights, including the right to travel without unlawful interference.
Olajide questioned how the protesters were able to infiltrate a supposedly secure airport environment to wreak havoc, describing airports as “sensitive national assets” to be protected from such impunity.
Olajide said Air Peace has video evidence to identify perpetrators of the violence and disruption, and called on the Federal Government, security agencies, airport authorities and aviation regulators to carry out an independent investigation.
