Nigerian Government To Ban Aviation Worker's Strike
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In response to the aviation workers' strike that disrupted Monday's flight operations, the government has vowed to activate the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Act 2022, which outlaws strikes by airport employees countrywide.

Sen. Hadi Sirika, Minister of Aviation extended his sincere apologies to travelers as all incoming and outgoing flights were canceled due to the strike by the National Union of Air Transport Employees and the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria on Monday.

The minister passed this information to the media ahead of the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, which Vice President Yemi Osinbajo would chair at the State House in Abuja.

Sirika noted that the FAAN Act, which President Muhammadu Buhari signed into law last year, forbids any sort of violence and strikes in the aviation industry. "First, we apologize to our teeming passengers in this difficult moment. There are other ways of channeling issues when they arise, but they are not permitted to go on strike because aviation is an essential service," he said, as reported by Punch.

International flights at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport were canceled Monday morning due to a strike by Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc employees. The strike was being held because of a pay raise, claims NAHCO.

The NAHCO management had already received a five-day strike notice from the disgruntled employees. Following the sector's overall upward appraisal of improvements in ground handling, they demanded, among other things, a 100% wage increase.

Several foreign airlines, such as Air France/KLM, Qatar, Ethiopian Airlines, Delta Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, and Turkish Air, entrust their check-in, boarding, and ramp services to NAHCO.

Some airlines had to reroute their flights to nearby nations or send their passengers back to their home bases. All international flights scheduled for the morning at Lagos' Murtala Muhammed International Airport were also impacted.

However, after a 15-hour delay, international passenger check-in for carriers like EgyptAir, Asky, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Ethiopia Airlines and Air Peace started after 3:00 PM, Guardian reported.