…warns collapse of over 50 airlines underscores urgent need for reforms, not confrontation
Air Peace Chairman, Dr. Allen Onyema, has challenged aviation unions over their planned picketing of domestic airlines, declaring that operators will not succumb to intimidation despite mounting pressure over alleged outstanding debts.
Speaking with journalists on the sidelines of the launch of Pathways, Pilgrimage & Destiny, the biography of Alhaji Muneer Bankole, on Wednesday in Lagos, Onyema described the planned industrial action as unprecedented and warned that it could worsen the already fragile state of Nigeria’s aviation industry.
“We will not be intimidated. If they want to shut down the industry, we are waiting for them. If they want to picket any airline, let them bring it on”, he said.
Onyema maintained that airlines have no dispute with aviation unions, stressing that their relationship is strictly with the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), whose directives operators have continued to obey despite the industry’s difficult operating environment.
According to him, using organised labour to settle commercial disagreements involving airlines sets a dangerous precedent and diverts attention from the structural problems confronting the sector.
“We don’t have any problem with any union. We have business with NCAA, and we’ve been complying with what NCAA has directed us to be doing”, he stated.
The Air Peace Chairman argued that domestic airlines are already grappling with soaring operating costs, inadequate infrastructure and operational disruptions, making further pressure from unions both unnecessary and counterproductive.
He cited repeated bird strike incidents as one of the major challenges draining airline finances, noting that some carriers recorded as many as 56 bird strikes within a year despite paying statutory charges expected to support wildlife hazard management and other critical airport infrastructure.
“Some of us have had 56 bird strikes in one year, yet we pay for the machines to be provided. If the infrastructure is not provided, airlines keep losing revenue”, Onyema said.
He explained that such losses inevitably affect airlines’ ability to meet financial obligations to service providers, including fuel marketers and catering companies, insisting that the focus should instead be on addressing the operational deficiencies driving up costs.
Onyema also questioned why unions would target airlines rather than seek solutions to the underlying challenges facing the industry.
He further argued that government agencies anywhere in the world do not rely on labour unions to recover commercial debts from airlines through picketing, describing the planned action as an “aberration”.
The aviation entrepreneur referenced concerns previously raised by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) over Nigeria’s harsh operating environment, noting that the collapse of more than 50 airlines over the years underscores the urgent need for reforms rather than confrontation.
According to him, many airline owners who succeeded in other sectors failed in aviation because of the country’s difficult business climate.
Onyema also alleged that vested interests were using organised labour to exert pressure on airlines, warning that any disruption of flight operations could have serious implications for aviation safety and employment.
“If they want to breach safety in this country, then the world is watching. We are calling on the world to watch what is happening here”, he said.
He warned that shutting down airline operations would leave thousands of aviation workers without jobs and inflict further damage on an industry already struggling to survive.
“If they come and destroy the airlines, we all go home. We unleash thousands of staff into the labour market”, he added.
Despite his criticism of the planned union action, Onyema said airlines remain committed to engaging constructively with the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development and the NCAA, insisting that dialogue with regulators, not intimidation remains the appropriate path to resolving industry disputes.
“If anybody feels that unions should be used to intimidate airlines, we wish them well. Let them come. Let them bring it on”, he said.