Aviation minister orders airlines to submit debt repayment plans within one week

Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, has directed the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority and other aviation agencies to secure a repayment schedule from airlines within seven days, giving operators a window to settle outstanding statutory dues while factoring in their operational costs and the broader economic climate.

The directive came out of an emergency stakeholders’ meeting convened on Thursday, August 13, 2026, as a follow‑up to earlier talks with aviation unions, which had suspended a planned strike on Tuesday, August 11.

In a statement issued by Permanent Secretary Mahmud Kambari, the ministry said the meeting aimed to resolve the lingering disputes between the unions and airline operators.

Keyamo instructed the Directors of Finance and Accounts across all aviation agencies to meet individually with each airline and agree on a realistic repayment plan within the week.

On the issue of unionisation, the minister was emphatic: workers must be free to decide for themselves whether to join a union, without management interference. He directed the NCAA to immediately facilitate direct access for unions to airline workers, solely to distribute forms allowing employees to indicate their choice. Any airline that blocks this direct interface, he warned, would face sanctions.

“The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority and other heads of aviation agencies are to obtain a schedule of payments from the airlines, spread over a reasonable timeframe, taking into account the airlines’ cost of operation and current economic realities,” Keyamo said.

He added: “The Directors of Finance and Accounts in all aviation agencies are to meet with individual airlines to agree on a realistic repayment plan within one week. The minister recognises the right of workers to decide whether or not to belong to a union and to make this decision for themselves, rather than through management.”

To that end, he ordered the NCAA to ensure unions have direct access to the workers of all airlines, solely for the purpose of distributing forms for workers to indicate whether they intend to unionise. “Any airline that prevents this direct interface will be sanctioned by the NCAA,” he said.

The parties agreed to reconvene in one month to review progress and the state of the current situation. The resolutions, according to the statement, were the collective decisions of all stakeholders.