Abuja Airport resumes flight operations as NLC suspends strike

Tamarauemi Ebimini

Flight operations have resumed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja following the suspension of nationwide strike actions by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and their Trade Union Congress (TUC) counterpart for five days.

The Guardian gathered that passengers stayed off the airport on Monday after the aviation union prevented them from entering the airport terminal buildings.

Meanwhile, the workers’ union on Monday morning blocked passengers from accessing the international wing of the Abuja Airport.

Recall that the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) had said on Monday that the strike would commence today at international terminals given the complexities of the routes.

The NUATE Deputy National President, Comrade Uzor Samuel Oluchi, confirmed to the Guardian that they blocked the entrance to the international terminal building but had to withdraw because of the ongoing Hajj exercise.

He said, “Yes, we commenced the strike at the international wing this morning, but we had to stop the strike given the ongoing Hajj exercise.”

However, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has assured the public and airline operators that the ongoing strike has not in any way affected the NAMA operations as the airspace remains open.

According to the statement signed by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Abdullahi Musa, the agency has put in place contingency arrangements for the processing of flight operations in the five major airports in Nigeria, which include Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt, Abuja, and Enugu.

The statement stated “NAMA will continue to provide its services to airline operators in spite of the ongoing strike action, in keeping with the agency’s mandate to provide uninterrupted, safe, efficient, and economic air navigation services in the country.”