November 01, (THEWILL) – Air passengers, particularly along the domestic routes are stranded, following a protest by members of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN).
The body, early Tuesday morning, barricaded the MMA2 terminal, Lagos, over the sacking of 34 members of the union without following due process.
MMA2 is being managed by Bi-Courtney Services Limited (BASL), where the protesting union members are working. The company was awarded the concession by the Federal Government to develop, finance, manage and operate the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 2, Lagos (and ancillary assets), under a Design-Build-Operate-Transfer (DBOT) arrangement.
However, THEWILL gathered that the union barricaded the entity at about 2:00 am in the early hours of Tuesday.
According to an airport source, the union has occupied the terminal with no intention of leaving the airport premises until the issues surrounding the sack of the affected union members are addressed.
The source further hinted that all efforts to resolve the issues at several meetings in the past proved abortive as Bi- Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL), was not ready to address the matter.
Consequently, intending passengers in large numbers have been caught in the protest as they cannot move in or out of the facility.
Airlines are not left out as those operating into and out of the MMA2, such as Green Africa, Air Peace, Azman, Max Air, and Value Jet are equally affected.
Already, Ibom Airlines Limited has already issued a statement alerting all its customers early Tuesday morning.
A statement from the airline management appealed to their passengers stating that “This is to bring to the attention of our esteemed passengers and the public, that our operating terminal out of Lagos, the Murtala Mohamed Airport 2, operated by Bicourtney Aviation Services Limited has been completely closed off to workers and passengers alike by the Labour Union, very early this morning”.
“Efforts are currently being made to resolve the situation; however, please note that this action will greatly impact our flights scheduled in and out of Lagos today”.
“We greatly regret the impact of this unexpected action on your day’s plans as we urge you to kindly stay close to all our communication channels for subsequent updates”, it added.
About the Author
Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.
