Air Peace has called on the Federal Government and relevant security and aviation authorities to investigate the violence and disruption during Monday’s industrial action at Nigerian airports, which the airline says caused more than ₦2 billion in financial losses.

The airline’s Chief Operating Officer, Mrs Oluwatoyin Olajide, made the call on Tuesday at a media parley in Lagos, following the industrial action embarked upon by aviation unions on August 11.

Olajide said the unions had cited two major grievances for the picketing: the 5% Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) indebtedness by airlines to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and the alleged failure of airlines to unionise their employees.

She, however, questioned why Air Peace was singled out for what she described as violent and disruptive action if the TSC issue was industry-wide.

“On the 5% TSC, the Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has publicly stated that the airlines, and not Air Peace alone, are complying with the directives of the NCAA regarding the applicable payment.”

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

On unionisation, Olajide said more than 98 per cent of Nigerian airlines do not have unions, adding that Air Peace employees had voluntarily chosen not to belong to any union.

“The staff of Air Peace have made it abundantly clear that they do not wish to form any union within Air Peace. This is within their constitutional rights. Air Peace did not stop them. They chose that path.”

The COO also questioned why union members allegedly encouraged passengers to boycott Air Peace in favour of other airlines.

“It is quite disturbing and curious that the same union members were seen in the videos urging passengers and the flying public not to be flying Air Peace again but the other airlines, the same other airlines that are owing debts to NCAA and the same airlines that are also not unionised.”

Olajide said some Air Peace employees were physically assaulted while exercising what she described as their constitutional rights, alleging that a female employee was left bleeding and bruised.

“Yesterday, some of our employees were physically assaulted while peacefully expressing that choice, including a female employee who was left bleeding and bruised.”

She questioned the rationale behind defending workers’ rights through violence against workers who had chosen not to unionise.