The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, is currently holding a closed-door meeting in Abuja with striking workers of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) in an effort to resolve the ongoing industrial action.
The strike, which began at midnight on Tuesday, has severely disrupted operations within the aviation sector.
The workers, through their unions, initiated the strike after repeated warnings to NiMet management over unmet promises related to staff welfare and other concerns.
As the strike continues, its impact has become increasingly visible. While some airlines, including XEJET, Aero Contractors, and Ibom Air, managed to operate on Wednesday, Air Peace suspended all operations nationwide.
In a statement issued on its official X (formerly Twitter) account, Air Peace cited the lack of necessary weather reports due to the strike as the reason for grounding its flights.
The statement, signed by the airline’s Head of Corporate Communications, Ejike Ndiulo, emphasized that passenger safety remained the airline’s top priority.
“Due to the ongoing NiMet strike and the unavailability of CNH (hazardous weather) reports required for safe landings, Air Peace has suspended all flight operations nationwide until the strike is over,” the statement read.
By Thursday, the effects of the strike intensified as stranded passengers were seen waiting across terminals at Lagos airport, hoping for updates on delayed or canceled flights.
Around 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Michael Achimugu, confirmed via a post on X that Minister Keyamo was meeting with the unions, the acting DG of the NCAA, Capt. Chris Najomo, and other stakeholders to resolve the dispute.