The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has threatened to completely halt flight operations nationwide if labour unions repeat recent violent disruptions of commercial airline activities. This is also as the association called on the Federal Government and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to involve domestic carriers in the ongoing reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.
The stance was detailed in a communiqué issued at the conclusion of the AON’s General Meeting held on September 23, 2026, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, where member airlines collectively evaluated current security threats, infrastructure challenges, and systemic operational bottlenecks in the aviation ecosystem. Highlighting the ongoing upgrade of MMIA in Lagos, the AON commended the Federal Government and FAAN for investing in terminal infrastructure to elevate user experience.
However, the operators insisted that airlines, as primary investors, key stakeholders, and direct operators within the terminal must be consulted at the early architectural and planning stages. The association argued that involving operators will allow them to contribute practical operational insights regarding passenger movement, terminal flow, and facility layout, thereby preventing design flaws that could harm long-term functionality.
“While we appreciate the efforts of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and the Federal Government to upgrade facilities at the airport terminal and give Nigerians a befitting infrastructure, we respectfully request that airlines, who are the key stakeholders, be carried along at the early stage to contribute their ideas towards the functionality and flow of the airport facility so as to address any design flaws that may affect functionality in future,” the communiqué stated.
Addressing security concerns, the AON condemned the violent disruption of airline operations on August 11, 2026, when members of aviation unions blocked access to departure terminals and check-in counters at Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminals 1 and 2 in Lagos, as well as Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. The blockade paralyzed Air Peace operations and affected multiple other carriers, resulting in physical assaults on airline staff, flight cancellations, and nationwide passenger displacement.
Air Peace alone incurred over N2 billion in direct revenue losses across 70 impacted flights, while United Nigeria Airlines had over 30 flights disrupted, affecting 13,000 passengers. The airlines stated that the blockades as “unlawful interference” under International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Annex 17 prompted a clear warning from the assembly: any future union disruption targeting a domestic airline will result in an immediate shutdown of all commercial flights nationwide.
“The AON stands united with Air Peace and all our members in maintaining an absolute zero-tolerance policy towards all forms of unlawful interference to the safety of airline operations,” the body stated. “To this end therefore, the AON would like to state in unequivocal terms that should the events of August 11, 2026, repeat themselves again against any domestic airline, the entire AON member airlines will immediately shut down operations.”
The association also addressed public criticism surrounding flight delays and cancellations, emphasizing that the vast majority of operational disruptions stem from factors outside the carriers’ control. The AON outlined eight primary structural challenges impacting domestic schedules to include adverse weather & harmattan; apron congestion; sunset operating restrictions; VIP airspace closures; bird strikes and foreign object damage; high aviation fuel costs; air traffic flow bottlenecks; and sub-optimal terminal equipment.
The AON member airlines unanimously passing a vote of implicit confidence in the association’s executive leadership team. The body reaffirmed its commitment to its constitution and ethical code of conduct, pledging to protect passengers, employees, and fleet assets while driving economic growth as critical catalysts of Nigeria’s macroeconomic stability. Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers.
She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday.
She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category.
She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.
