Aviation Union Threatens Fresh Airport Shutdown Over Police Invitation

The Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) has warned of fresh disruption to flight operations across the country if its officials are held beyond a reasonable time after honouring a police invitation linked to the August 11 picketing of Air Peace.

In a notice signed by its General Secretary, Comrade Frances Akinjole, the union described the invitation from the Nigeria Police Headquarters, Abuja, as an act of “reckless intimidation.”

The police invitation, which follows a complaint filed by the airline, lists allegations including conspiracy, threatening violence, inciting disturbance of public peace, assault occasioning harm, and conduct likely to cause a breach of peace. The union has been scheduled to appear at the police headquarters in Abuja at 11am on September 2, 2026.

ATSSSAN said it had resolved to honour the invitation, but not alone. It will be accompanied by a sizable number of its officers and members, both to present its account of the August 11 incident and to push back against what it perceives as an attempt at intimidation by Air Peace.

“We have decided to honour the invitation together with a sizable number of our officers and members, principally in order to enable us put the occurrence in the correct perspective and to dare the intimidation by Air Peace,” the union said.

The warning, however, came with a stark caveat: if its officials are detained beyond what the union considers necessary, it may no longer be able to guarantee the continuation of air operations at airports nationwide.

“If we are held by the Police for longer than necessary, we may no longer be able to guarantee continuation of air operations in the various airports across the country immediately,” it said.

The development deepens tensions in Nigeria’s aviation sector, which has remained fragile since the unions’ picketing exercise at airports on August 11. That action severely disrupted Air Peace’s operations and heightened hostilities between the unions and the carrier.

Air Peace has said it lost N2 billion to the picketing, which it insists violated an existing court order. The airline’s Chief Operating Officer, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Olajide, described the incident as “deeply disturbing,” saying employees, passengers, and operations were subjected to violence, intimidation, and disruption.

The unions have cited two main reasons for their action: the alleged indebtedness of airlines to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) regarding the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC), and the lack of unionisation among airline employees.

Olajide, however, questioned why Air Peace was singled out when the TSC issue affects the entire industry. She noted that the Director-General of the NCAA had publicly stated that airlines; not just Air Peace, were complying with the regulator’s directives on the payment.

“This therefore raises a fundamental question: if the issue is industry-wide, why was Air Peace singled out for violent and disruptive picketing?” she asked.