Air Traffic Controllers Warn of Nationwide Flight Delays Over Safety Concerns

The Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers’ Association (NATCA) has signaled that it may slow flight movements across the country, citing rising fatigue, system failures, and deteriorating welfare conditions among its members.

In a statement jointly signed by its President, Edino Ilemona Amos, and General Secretary, Umar Fahad, the association warned that air traffic controllers are being stretched beyond safe limits, raising serious concerns about the reliability of Nigeria’s airspace management.

NATCA said its alarm is based on operational realities, not sentiment. According to the association, controllers are working under “sustained operational deficiencies, inadequate working tools, unresolved welfare issues, and severe psychological strain” – conditions incompatible with a job that demands total concentration and split‑second decision‑making.

A key concern is the continued use of outdated communication, navigation, and surveillance (CNS) infrastructure. NATCA noted that critical systems remain unreliable, forcing controllers to improvise around technical gaps. “No airspace can be truly safe when the people responsible for managing it are compelled to operate beyond the safe limits of their available systems,” the association warned, adding that infrastructure decay is directly increasing operational risk.

NATCA also highlighted a shortage of structured training and manpower development. The absence of consistent retraining and long‑term workforce planning, it said, is leaving the system exposed. Without urgent investment, Nigeria risks a shortage of adequately trained controllers even as flight traffic grows.

Working conditions are equally troubling. Some control towers, the association said, fall short of basic safety standards. It cited the recent fire incident at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, where controllers reportedly escaped under dangerous conditions before returning to duty soon after.

Beyond operational risks, NATCA described a deepening welfare crisis. Many experienced controllers have remained on Grade Level 16 for up to 13 years,  a situation it called “deeply demoralising” in a profession that demands long‑term commitment. Delayed promotions, it warned, are eroding morale.

The association also criticised the failure to review professional and aeromedical allowances, unchanged since 2012 despite rising economic pressures. It noted inconsistencies in post‑licence rating allowances and said legitimate duty‑related claims have gone unpaid for months, forcing controllers to personally absorb operational costs.

To ease manpower pressure, NATCA proposed re‑engaging retired controllers at slightly lower grade levels, subject to medical fitness, to retain experience and reduce the burden on younger personnel. The association also raised concerns about structural imbalances, with senior controllers increasingly working under junior officers in other departments, a situation it said has “deepened frustration, damaged dignity, and weakened confidence.”

While acknowledging efforts by aviation authorities, NATCA called for urgent intervention to address infrastructure decay, welfare challenges, and manpower gaps. “These issues are not only about staff welfare; they are about the safety of passengers, airlines, airport users, and the entire aviation ecosystem,” the statement said.

With the threat of a nationwide flight slowdown looming, stakeholders are under pressure to act quickly, as the consequences of inaction could extend beyond delays to the core of aviation safety in Nigeria.