NCAA orders arrest of Air Peace driver over alleged airport runway obstruction

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has ordered the identification and arrest of an Air Peace driver accused of driving a bus onto the airside of the Lagos airport and leaving it there during Tuesday’s labour protest against the airline.

The development followed the picketing of Air Peace by aviation unions, including 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), with the backing of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC).

The unions commenced the picketing in the early hours of Tuesday over allegations bordering on workers’ unionisation rights and the non-remittance of the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge to aviation agencies.

The unions had earlier issued three stages of warning to airlines they accused of failing to comply with the remittance requirement and alleged that some domestic carriers were restricting employees from joining trade unions.

A source at the Lagos airport said the driver allegedly drove a large bus onto the airside and abandoned it there during the protest.

According to the source, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) subsequently towed the vehicle away to restore movement within the airside area.

NCAA spokesperson, Michael Achimugu, confirmed the incident and said the authority had directed that the driver be identified and arrested for prosecution.

Achimugu said the incident constituted a serious aviation safety concern, given the importance of maintaining unobstructed movement within restricted airport areas.

“During the enforcement of the picketing, a driver drove the large bus to the runway, parked and left the place.

“We have ordered that the driver in question be identified and arrested for onward prosecution. How can somebody block the runway? That is seriously uncalled for. We’ll investigate, and the necessary portions of the Act will be invoked,” he said.

However, Air Peace denied that its vehicle blocked the runway.

The airline’s spokesperson, Efe Whiskey-Osifo, challenged the allegation and insisted that the bus was not positioned on the runway.

“Show me your pictures. Do you know the runway better than I do? The bus did not block the runway. Do you know what a runway is?” she said.

The labour unions’ action is part of their wider dispute with affected airlines over compliance with aviation regulations and workers’ freedom to belong to trade unions.