AZMAN Air and Ibom Air have issued travel advisories this morning to passengers scheduled to fly from the domestic terminal of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA2), Lagos, this morning.
This is due to the anticipated strike of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), which they feared would disrupt flight operations today.
Azman advised its passengers departing from Lagos to check in very early this morning so they would not miss their flights.
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In a statement signed by its management and put up on its official Twitter handle, the airline said it was monitoring the situation.
PUBLIC NOTICE: All Intending Passengers should kindly take note.https://t.co/QVwapWYK3Q#LetsFlyAzmanAir pic.twitter.com/TDLcRsswRN
— AzmanAir – #LetsFlyAzmanAir (@AzmanAir) November 1, 2022
“The statement read in part, “Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) is planning an industrial action that will disrupt the flight operations at the Domestic Terminal 2 of Murtala Mohammed Airport (MMA2) from Tuesday 1st November 2022.
“In lieu of this, Azman Air Services Limited wishes to advise all its intending passengers departing from Lagos to report early at the airport for check-in.
“We are monitoring the situation and we hope this is resolved quickly to avert further inconveniences to Airline Operators, Staffs and the Passengers.”
It also promised to contact all affected passengers via their details on the ticket.
Also, Ibom Air, in another statement signed by its management, warned that already, Murtala Mohamed Airport 2 had at this morning been shut down by the labour union.
It read, “This is to bring to the attention of our esteemed passengers and the public, that our operating terminal out of Lagos, the Murtala Mohamed Airport 2, operated by Bicourtney Aviation Services Limited, has been completely closed off to workers and passengers alike by the Labour Union, very early this morning.
“Efforts are currently being made to resolve the situation. However, please note that this action will greatly impact our flights scheduled in and out of Lagos today.”
The airline apologised for the impact on travel and urged passengers to monitor their communication channels for subsequent updates.
The union had last week accused the Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL), operator of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport 2 (MMIA2), of a witchhunt following the company’s sack of 37 workers.
ATSSSAN alleged that Bi-Courtney, rather than implement certain conditions of service both parties agreed on in 2021, resorted to sacking the association’s members in its establishment.
BASL had directed, on October 14, 2022, the affected persons to go for a 10 days “leave of absence”, with a guarantee that all their entitlements would not be tampered with.
However, after two weeks, on October 28, 2022, the BASL management gave all the affected workers, including the ATSSSAN chairman, secretary, treasurer and women leader, BASL chapter, termination letters.
ATSSSAN vowed to protest the action of the sacked members.
There are indications the strike has commenced as the union barricaded the airport at about 2am in the early hours of today.
Experienced Business reporter seeking the truth and upholding justice. Covered capital markets, aviation, maritime, road and rail, as well as economy. Email tips to [email protected]. Follow on Twitter @theminentmuyiwa and on Instagram @Hollumuyiwah.