Air transport operations can now commence at the domestic wing of airports across the country, following the suspension of industrial action by the labour unions.
General Secretary of the National Union of Air Transport Employees, NUATE, Mr Ocheme Aba, confirmed the development.
The Airline Operators of Nigeria, AON, stated the strike action, saying they suffered a multi-billion loss due to yesterday’s work stoppage.
Professor Obiora Okonkwo, Spokesperson for AON, said that although those whose flights were cancelled would be rescheduled, it was a minus to airlines’ revenue stream.
He said: “I’m sure that before the end of the day, airlines would have started flying. The airlines were not on strike, it was the airports and labour that went on strike. Now, the strike action has ended and I am sure the airports have been opened. Some airlines should already be boarded for flights from one destination to another as we speak.
Okonkwo said: on those whose flights got cancelled yesterday, “it is a force majeure, they have to reschedule. It is a huge price that each of us (travelers and operators) has to pay because of the strike. Any day we don’t fly, it is a big minus to our revenue stream. Unfortunately, we still have to pay all members of our team the same amount they should be paid for the month.
“It is a huge price we have to pay for this. To quantify our loss in monetary terms is huge. We hope that they find a compromise within five days that would bring a permanent end. We don’t have control over recouping what we have lost. We will have to carry over our schedule. That is why we are called scheduled flight operators because everyday we have schedules.”
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