BY OLAPEJU OLUBI
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has appealed to aviation unions to suspend their ongoing industrial action and exercise restraint pending the return of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo.
The industrial action has disrupted flight operations and affected passengers and other stakeholders across the country.
In a statement signed by the NCAA Director General, Capt. Chris Ona Najomo, the regulatory agency said Keyamo had been actively working to resolve the issues that led to the industrial action.
The NCAA said the matter could have been addressed at a meeting convened by the minister last week, but the meeting could not hold because airline operators failed to honour the invitation.
“The NCAA appeals to the unions to sheathe their swords and exercise restraint pending the return of the Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, who has been actively working towards resolving the issues,” the statement said.
The authority urged all parties involved to embrace dialogue and cooperation, expressing confidence that the dispute would be resolved shortly.
It also assured air travellers that the industrial action had not compromised flight safety, stressing that it remained committed to carrying out its statutory safety oversight responsibilities.
“The NCAA assures the travelling public that flight safety remains uncompromised and that the Authority continues to exercise its statutory safety oversight responsibilities,” it said.
The regulator further said normal flight operations would resume as soon as practicable once the issues were resolved.
It appealed to the unions, airline operators and other stakeholders to work towards an amicable resolution in the interest of passengers and the aviation industry.
The NCAA expressed regret over the inconvenience caused to passengers by the disruption and thanked travellers for their patience and understanding.
The industrial action comes amid ongoing disagreements between aviation unions and other stakeholders over issues affecting workers and operations in the sector.
Olapeju is a journalist and aviation reporter.
