Domestic carriers under the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) have threatened that another disruption of the kind seen on August 11, 2026, will trigger a nationwide grounding of flights.
The warning comes directly from an AON communiqué released after the association’s general meeting in Abuja. It is the operators’ collective response to the picketing that halted Air Peace operations at Lagos and Abuja airports and spilled over to affect other carriers.
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What Happened on 11 August
According to the AON statement, union members blocked access to Air Peace terminals, check-in counters, and work areas.
The association called the action violent and disruptive. Due to the blockade, Air Peace reported more than 70 flights affected and losses exceeding N2 billion. United Nigeria Airlines saw more than 30 flights disrupted, impacting roughly 13,000 passengers. Additional costs arose from passenger rebooking, accommodation, refunds, and the repositioning of aircraft and crew.
AON framed the incident as more than an industrial dispute. Citing ICAO Annex 17, it described the blockade as unlawful interference that jeopardises civil aviation safety and security. The statement also referred to alleged assaults on airline staff.
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AON’s Position: Immediate Shutdown of Operations in Case of Recurrence
The communiqué is straightforward, Nigerian airlines threaten shutdown:
“Should the events of August 11, 2026, repeat themselves against any domestic airline, the entire AON member airlines will immediately shut down operations.”
AON says it maintains an absolute zero-tolerance policy toward any form of unlawful interference. It stands with Air Peace and all its members. It also stresses its duty to protect employees, passengers and equipment in what it describes as a constrained operating environment.
The association also used the statement to list other factors that routinely cause delays and cancellations, arguing that airlines themselves have no interest in grounding flights.
AON said conditions like bad weather, congested parking stands, and limited operating hours at secondary airports cause delays. It also stated that VIP movements, bird strikes, fuel supply problems, and inadequate infrastructure were other causes of flight delays.
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