The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, on Tuesday disrupted flight operations at a Lagos airport, leaving passengers scheduled to travel on an Air Peace flight stranded.
The protest reportedly began at about 5am, with the Zulu terminal gate locked as NLC members prevented normal access to the facility.
An Air Peace flight scheduled to depart Lagos at 6:30am was consequently unable to take off, leaving passengers waiting at the airport amid uncertainty over when operations would resume.
The disruption sparked frustration among travellers, with some passengers expressing concern over the impact of the protest on their schedules.
One of the affected passengers told Daily Trust that the delay had disrupted his plans, adding that he could not determine when the flight would eventually depart.
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Another passenger said she arrived at the airport early for the 6:30am flight but was left stranded without clear information on when normal operations would resume.
A staff member of Air Peace, who confirmed the disruption, said, “Yes, it’s true,” but declined to comment on the reason for the protest.
However, an operator familiar with the development said the protest was aimed at compelling Air Peace to allow its employees to join the union.
According to the operator, the NLC action was intended to enforce what the union considers the right of Air Peace workers to unionise.
Efforts to obtain further clarification from Air Peace through its customer care line were unsuccessful, as calls to the line were reportedly unreachable at the time of filing the report.
The protest has disrupted movement at the airport, with passengers affected by the flight delay left waiting for further information on the situation.
The development comes amid ongoing tensions between organised labour and employers over workers’ rights to unionise and participate in trade union activities.
Further details on the duration of the disruption and when the affected flight operations will resume were not immediately available.