Aviation Unions Set For Industrial Action

Unions in the aviation industry are set for an industrial action with the Federal Government to press home their demand for the termination of some concession agreements at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.

The Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), had made frantic efforts through the various tiers of government for the cancellation of the agreement but to no avail.

The union at a meeting with workers of the  Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) decided to declare a show down with the Federal Government for failure to acede to their request that it should cancel  the contract agreement between Maevis Nigeria Limited and FAAN.

According to ATSSSAN, it is compelled by recent development to take this course of action in the interest of the Nigerian people.

In a statement, the General-Secretary, Frank Sunny Aiyede said: “it is important that we place on record unequivocally that we are not in any way being used by anyone or group whatever to disrupt the ongoing democratic process but only doing the biddings of the organisation and the nation at large”.

Aiyede alleged that Maevis Nigeria Limited is the only body ‘influencing’ ATSSSAN by way of intimidation, blackmail, utterances  and manipulations to create  confusion and divert the workers’ attention from the main issue.

Maevis a concessionaire  whose responsibility  is to collect  aeronautical and non-aeronautical charges which  include landing and parking charges, passengers services charge and other charges.

FAAN had alleged that Maevis  owes it billions of naira while Maevis  insisted that it does not.

Meanwhile, Air Nigeria Airline has introduced an exciting advance purchase fare of N6,000 which is available to passengers traveling between Abuja  and Kano, Lagos and Owerri as well as Lagos and Benin  routes.

According to a statement, with the introduction of the offer, passengers traveling on the selected routes would be able to fly for as low as N6,000 when they make advanced bookings, online or at any Air Nigeria  sales  office, at least 14 days  before intended date of travel.

The statement added that the introduction of the special fare is part of Air Nigeria’s commitment to making air travel affordable, saying that Air Nigeria is continuously  in search of new avenues  to offer various forms of incentives to promote  seamless travel options  in Nigeria, especially as air travel  remains  the fastest and safest way to travel across the world.