Passengers were stranded on Tuesday as aviation labour unions disrupted Air Peace operations at the Lagos and Abuja airports over alleged violations of workers’ unionisation rights and unpaid regulatory charges.

The National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), backed by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), began picketing the airline in the early hours of Tuesday.

The unions accused Air Peace of preventing some employees from joining trade unions and failing to remit ticket sales charges owed to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

They said the action followed weeks of unsuccessful efforts to resolve the disputes through dialogue, despite issuing a picketing notice on August 4.

The unions said the protest would continue until the airline addressed the alleged violations and fulfilled its financial obligations to the aviation regulator, disrupting scheduled flights and leaving passengers stranded at the affected airports.