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The spokesperson of the Airline Operators of Nigeria, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, has said that Air Peace and United Nigeria Airlines were targets of the picketing carried out by the aviation unions at Abuja and Lagos airports on Tuesday, August 11, 2026.
Speaking at the 30th annual conference of the League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) which took place in Lagos on Thursday, with theme: “Towards a Sustainable Aviation Industry: Balancing government revenue demands with sector growth “, Prof. Okonkwo who is the executive chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, said the union’s actions at the airport would have brought the aviation sector to its lowest point if not for the condemnation of stakeholders.
“For those gathered here, let me be clear: the plan was to bring down Air Peace and United Nigeria. It was only at midnight that some inspiration came, and they realised that targeting both airlines might seem like a tribal war, that is why they backed down on United Nigeria, planning to target it the next day.
“Airlines are among Nigeria’s best-paying sectors. That shameful display at the airport would have brought us to our lowest point if not for the reactions and condemnation from so many gathered here.
“I especially commend the Aviation Roundtable and my brother, Air Commodore Ademola Onitiju (Rtd), whose loud voice was heard worldwide. Others spoke as well, reporting in various styles, but we expected condemnation from quarters that should have known better but that did not come. I remain concerned about this,” he said.
According to Okonkwo, difficulty in the remittance of Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) emerged only when airlines began to have issues with the cost of aviation fuel which had increased to N3,300 as a result of the US-Iran crisis. He said the AON was the first to raise concerns about the financial burden of regulatory charges during the downturn.
“Before February this year, there were no payment problems. All airlines were paying. The TSC issue only became a problem because of the Gulf crisis. AON was the first to cry out. We wrote to the President, explaining that we could no longer pay these charges. We requested either a complete suspension of charges or temporary relief during the aviation crisis, and the request was granted. The President agreed and waived 30%,” Okonkwo disclosed.
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Following the presidential waiver, Okonkwo said airlines had a meeting with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Ministry of Aviation to establish a structured repayment framework. “We met with NCAA and the Minister. We held several meetings. In one decisive meeting, NCAA requested that airline operators pay 10% of the legacy debts within a specified period, and then pay the rest in instalments over a period of time and each airline was to meet with NCAA’s director of finance.
“The airlines complied with this directive. The airlines did this. The director met with operators in Lagos and Abuja, and we developed a payment plan. This plan was in place. When you have a payment plan in place, it does not mean you will default. We were making regular payments according to the agreement we had with the NCAA until we heard about the labour union, problem,” he said.
Responding to the statement made by Okonkwo, the national president of National President of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), John Ogbe, told journalists that the push to unionise the sector is driven by a commitment to partnership and industry stability, not disruption.
Ogbe added that union membership remains a matter of choice as is covered in the Nigerian Constitution, Trade Union Act, and International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention.
The union leader said that their ongoing effort is aimed at fostering cooperation rather than conflict. “Our effort is not to cause disruption but to collaborate as unions are social partners to airlines. The unions support any initiative that will create a financially robust industry, peaceful and safe aviation,” he said.
Last month, more than 7O flights were disrupted following the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and ATSSSAN’s picketing of Air Peace at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The unions accused the AON of failing to remit the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) and said many of the members have preventes their staff from joining unions.
