A coalition of aviation unions has petitioned the presidency over an alleged airside invasion by Air Peace Airlines at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on 11 August 2026, demanding an urgent security investigation and prosecution of anyone found culpable.
In a petition to the National Security Adviser, obtained by The PUNCH, ABNTV reports the unions alleged that Air Peace management and staff drove five branded buses onto the airport’s taxiway and maneuvering area after a trade union picketing exercise, disrupting flight operations and posing a significant threat to aviation safety.
The petition was signed by General Secretary of the Airline Staff and Service Association of Nigeria, Frances Akinjole; General Secretary of the National Union of Air Transport Employees, Igene P.I.A.; and Deputy General Secretary of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, Umoho Otonime.
The unions described the alleged incident as a national security concern, warning that any unauthorized obstruction of critical aviation infrastructure could endanger passengers, aircraft crew, and airport personnel.
The unions had earlier served lawful picketing notices on 16 domestic airlines, most of which they said belonged to the Airline Operators of Nigeria, over alleged infringements of workers’ rights to unionise and the continued failure to remit the statutory Ticket Sales Charge collected from passengers.
The unions accused the airlines of obstructing workers’ unionisation in violation of Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, Section 9 of the Labour Act, the Trade Unions Act, and International Labour Organization Conventions 87 and 98, ratified by Nigeria.
They also alleged that the failure to remit the TSC had affected the operations of key aviation agencies, including the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Nigerian Meteorological Agency, Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau and Nigerian College of Aviation Technology.
The unions said the alleged non-remittance had undermined the implementation of negotiated collective bargaining agreements and fuelled discontent among aviation agency workers.
“The non-remittance of the TSC has rendered implementation of the various duly negotiated Collective Bargaining Agreements of the agencies nugatory,” the petition read.
It further warned that the growing agitation among workers could undermine industrial harmony and aviation safety.
To avoid a simultaneous shutdown of flight operations nationwide, the unions said they resolved to picket the defaulting airlines one after another, with Air Peace scheduled for the first day of action on 11 August 2026.
They maintained that the picketing was peaceful and lawful, stressing that it took place at the airline’s operational office and counter area, not on the airport’s airside.
However, the unions alleged that some Air Peace staff became physically violent towards unarmed union members and attempted to incite passengers against them.
The unions said that their members remained calm and continued with the exercise without retaliation, adding that the picketing was suspended that afternoon following the intervention of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo and security agencies at the airport.
