The management of Air Peace Airlines has expressed its displeasure with the disruption of the airline’s flight operations by officials of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
The disruption happened after the NLC declared a strike in Imo State following the hindrance of their planned Workers’ Day celebration in the state on Tuesday.
According to reports, the TUC and NLC disrupted the operations of Air Peace Airlines on Wednesday as they expressed their grievances.
The CEO of Air Peace Airlines, Allen Onyema, during an interview on Arise Television, stated that the group “took over our counters in Owerri, Abuja, and Lagos, disrupting over 110 flights of Air Peace.” He also mentioned that the airline lost around N700 million as a result of the trade unions’ actions.
Onyema stated that it was insensitive of the NLC and TUC to disrupt their operations for something that did not concern Air Peace Airlines. He noted that the unions claimed that Governor Uzodinma of Imo state disrupted their May Day activities, and therefore, no flight should go to Imo.
The Air Peace boss added that the trade unions had written to the airline, saying that no flight should operate into Owerri on Wednesday.
“We have a contract with the passengers. NLC or TUC has no right to whatsoever instruct an airline not to update the contractual obligations they have to their passengers—they do not have that right,” he said.
The CEO stated that the airline is continuously risking the lives of its crew to save Nigerians fleeing Sudan and expending millions of naira on behalf of the country.
Onyema said that if no action is taken to address the situation, “then this country is a joke.” He urged that “something should happen because we are not going to let this go down. We must recover all we lost today.”
Onyema also pointed out that the airport environment should be sacrosanct and a sacred place. He said that all over the world, you do not shout, or else you will be picked up, not to talk about when they go into the tarmac to destabilize an airline.
He also revealed that someone threw a spanner into one of those engines, which could cause an air crash.
In conclusion, the airline’s management has called on relevant authorities to investigate the matter and take necessary actions to prevent such occurrences in the future.
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