Passengers Stranded In Airports Over Strike By Organised Labour

Thousands of passengers are stranded at airports across the nation following the strike embarked upon by the Labour Union.

Aviation unions comprising the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP), National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) who are affiliated to either NLC or TUC have joined the strike.

They had earlier on Sunday directed their members to withdraw services at airports across the country with effect from midnight of Monday.

As early as 6:00 am on Monday, members of the unions blocked all entries to the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, preventing passengers from accessing the airport for their flights.

The situation has led to delay and cancellation of flights by airlines across the country.

As of the time of filing this report, no flight has taken off at either the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) of the local airport or the MMA2 private terminal.

A source said, “As I am talking to you, no flight has taken off. Hundreds of passengers are stranded because the unions blocked all access points to the airport.”

Our correspondent learnt that the only flight that boarded was not given clearance to take off.

A passenger who spoke with our correspondent said he arrived at the airport on time for his 6:30 a.m flight but he is still at the airport.

The situation is not different at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja where passengers were blocked from accessing the terminals.

The terminal halls are completely empty, according to pictures and videos sent to our correspondent.