The interruption came after the National Union of Air Transport Employes (NUATE) and the Air Transport Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSAN) issued a three-day strike notice on August 4 due to the airline’s claimed refusal to pay the five percent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC).
In an attempt to force the airline to pay the outstanding TSC, the unions halted Air Peace’s operations at the former terminal of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos.

In Nigeria, commercial aircraft tickets are subject to a statutory fee known as the TSC. The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, or NCAA, receives the fee from airlines, and the money is distributed to important aviation organisations to support industry infrastructure, safety oversight, and regulation.

Mr. Frances Akinjole, General Secretary of ATSSAN, referred to Air Peace as a stubborn airline when speaking to passengers impacted by the inconvenience.

Akinjole claimed that when other attempts to settle the issue failed, the unions were compelled to take the action.

“It has never been in our character to stop operations,” he stated. However, we are left with no other option when it comes to our life and existence. As you can see, Air Peace is not the only one at fault. However, Air Peace is the most obstinate, which is why we started with it. Other reluctant airlines are using Air Peace as a model.

Regarding the development, a traveller said: “I had a flight for 7:00 AM.” I arrived on time despite all the obstacles (traffic), only to discover that the union people had prevented Airpeace from operating today. Everybody is stuck. It hurts.

The NCAA, meantime, stated that it was aware of the development and urged the unions to put down their weapons.
In a statement, NCAA Director General Capt. Chris Ona Najomo noted that Mr. Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, had been actively trying to find a solution.

“The matter would have been addressed at the meeting convened by the Minister last week, but the meeting could not be held as the airline operators failed to honour the invitation,” the statement said. The NCAA guarantees the travelling public that the Authority will continue to carry out its mandated safety supervision duties and that flight safety will not be compromised.

“We urge everyone to embrace communication and collaboration. We are optimistic that the issue will be settled quickly and that regular flight operations will start up again as soon as is practical.