…Says Labour Unions Violated Court Order
BY OLAPEJU OLUBI
Air Peace has accused aviation labour unions of violating a subsisting Federal High Court judgment after a protest at the airline’s operations on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, allegedly turned violent, leaving one female employee injured and causing more than N2 billion in financial losses.
The airline also called on the Federal Government and security agencies to investigate how protesters gained access to a sensitive airport environment and disrupted its operations.
Speaking at a media parley in Lagos on Wednesday, Air Peace Chief Operating Officer, Oluwatoyin Olajide, described Tuesday’s action as an attempt to intimidate the airline’s workers and passengers.
She said the action was also a “flagrant disrespect” of a subsisting court order restraining the unions from harassing Air Peace employees.
According to Olajide, the court judgment was obtained on April 26, 2024, following a suit involving Air Peace employees and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), the Inspector-General of Police and other parties.
She said the judgment declared it unlawful and unconstitutional for unions to force Air Peace employees into union membership against their will.
The court, she added, also granted a perpetual injunction restraining the unions from harassing Air Peace employees at their workplaces or elsewhere and directed the police nationwide to enforce compliance.
Olajide said the unions’ action on Tuesday amounted to a disregard of the court judgment and existing laws governing the aviation sector.
She said: “The aviation unions in Nigeria have cited two principal grievances: why they decided to picket airlines. First, the 5% Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) indebtedness by the airlines to the NCAA.
“Secondly, the lack of unionization of the employees of airlines in Nigeria. On the 5% TSC, the Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has publicly stated that the airlines, and not Air Peace alone, are complying with the directives of the NCAA regarding the applicable payment.
“This therefore raises a fundamental question: if the issue is industry-wide, why was Air Peace singled out for violent and disruptive picketing? On unionization, over 98% of Nigerian airlines do not have unions.
The staff of Air Peace have made it abundantly clear that they do not wish to form any union within Air Peace. This is within their constitutional rights. Air Peace did not stop them. They chose that path. So 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 Unionised! The Federal Government must investigate this.
“Yesterday, some of our employees were physically assaulted while peacefully expressing that choice, including a female employee who was left bleeding and bruised. We ask: how can workers’ rights be defended by violently attacking workers exercising their own constitutional rights?
“The incident also raises serious questions about airport security. How were individuals able to gain access to and disrupt operations within a highly controlled airport environment? Airports are sensitive national assets, and such violence should never be allowed to occur with impunity.
The incident has also caused concern among our international partners and aircraft lessors and raises legitimate questions about confidence in Nigeria’s aviation business environment.”
Olajide said the disruption had caused significant financial damage to Air Peace, with the airline putting its losses at more than N2 billion.
She said thousands of passengers were affected as flights and normal airport operations were disrupted.
She said: “The disruption has caused significant financial damage to Air Peace, estimated at over ₦2 billion, while thousands of passengers had their journeys disrupted. Our passengers equally have constitutional rights, including the right to travel without unlawful interference.”
The airline said the financial impact went beyond the immediate cost of cancelled or disrupted flights.
According to the carrier, prolonged disruption can affect passengers, aircraft schedules, crew deployment, airport operations and the wider confidence of business partners who depend on predictable aviation operations.
Olajide said the incident had also raised concerns among Air Peace’s international partners and aircraft lessors, who could view repeated disruptions as a risk to doing business in Nigeria.
The airline also questioned how protesters were able to enter and disrupt operations within an airport environment that is expected to have tight security controls.
Olajide described airports as “sensitive national assets” and said the incident raised serious questions about security arrangements at the facility.
She argued that allowing protesters to gain access to restricted areas and interfere with airline operations could have wider implications for aviation safety and security.
The airline said the situation should therefore not be treated merely as a labour dispute because of the potential consequences for passengers, workers, airport security and Nigeria’s aviation reputation.
Air Peace also alleged that the action breached international aviation standards and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (NCAR).
At the centre of the disagreement is the question of unionisation among Air Peace employees.
The airline maintains that its employees have the right to decide whether or not they want to belong to a union.
Olajide said Air Peace had not prevented any employee from exercising his or her constitutional rights, insisting that the workers themselves had chosen not to unionise.
She questioned why the airline should be targeted when, according to her, a large number of other airlines also operate without unions.
The airline also questioned why the issue of the 5 per cent Ticket Sales Charge should be used as a reason for targeting it when the issue affects airlines across the industry.
According to Olajide, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has already stated publicly that airlines, including Air Peace, are complying with its directives on the applicable payment.
She, therefore, urged the authorities to investigate why Air Peace was allegedly singled out for the action.
Air Peace said it has video evidence which it believes could help identify individuals involved in the alleged violence and disruption.
Olajide called on the Federal Government, security agencies, airport authorities and aviation regulators to conduct an independent investigation into the incident.
The airline said such an investigation should establish what happened, identify those responsible for any acts of violence and determine how protesters gained access to areas where they could disrupt flight operations.
Air Peace also urged the authorities to ensure that future industrial disputes are handled within the law and without exposing passengers, airline workers or airport facilities to violence.
The airline said it remains committed to protecting its workers and passengers while complying with aviation regulations, but stressed that industrial disputes should not be allowed to undermine the safety and smooth operation of Nigeria’s airports.
The development comes amid wider disagreements between aviation unions, airlines and regulators over workers’ unionisation and the payment and sharing of aviation-related charges.
For Air Peace, however, the immediate concern is the financial and operational damage caused by the August 11 disruption and what it described as a breach of a court order that remains in force.
The airline is now asking the government to step in, investigate the incident and ensure that future disagreements in the sector do not degenerate into violence or disrupt the rights of passengers and workers.
Olapeju is a journalist and aviation reporter.
