On Monday morning, Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc (NAHCO) began a strike over salary increases, resulting in the cancellation of several international flights at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA).
One of the affected passengers, Alex Nwuba, told BusinessDay that NAHCO employees left the international airport early on Monday, declaring that they were on strike and would not handle any passengers.
Nwuba stated, “Even the Qatar flight I’m traveling with today landed and has returned to Doha because there is no one to handle them.”
He stated that passengers are dissatisfied because they have been kept outside to prevent a crisis and that no emails, announcements, or information has been sent to them.
Several international airlines, including Air France/KLM, Qatar, Ethiopian Airlines, Delta Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, and Turkish Air, use Nahco for their check-in, boarding, and ramp services, according to investigations.
Travelers claim that additional flights will be grounded if the issue is not resolved.
BusinessDay was told by a source at NAHCO who requested anonymity that management met with employees on Sunday to discuss the planned strike and promised to address the issue soon.
According to aviation analyst Daniel Young, passengers will incur substantial financial losses.
“It is evident that the people who carry out these actions are unaware of the long-term effects of some of the insensitive choices they make.
The NACHO staff’s actions suggest that the company has a self-destructive code. Even more so, people’s perceptions of the country and aviation industry as a whole are impacted. Before the entire industry collapses, concerned leadership must quickly intervene, Young stated.