Charges: Airport ground handlers threaten strike

There is an imminent crisis in the aviation industry over plans by the ground handling companies to embark on an indefinite strike.

The action, which may paralyse the airline’s sub-sector, is to commence on Friday, November 5, 2021, in protest against the directive by the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation halting the new safety threshold handling charges.

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The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had approved a new charge regime for the ground handling operators after 35 years of the existence of the old rate.

The commencement dates were slated for October 1, 2021, for international operators, and January 1, 2022, for local operators, but the House Committee on Aviation ordered a stoppage of the new charges.

But the ground handling operators under the aegis of Association of Ground Handlers of Nigeria (AGHAN) said yesterday that it was putting modalities in place to commence an indefinite strike starting from this Friday.

This is to push for the commencement of the new handling rate regime as approved by the NCAA about two months ago.

President of Aviation Roundtable and Safety Initiative, Dr. Gabriel Olowo, said, “Political interference, especially where it hinges on safety, should be condemned in very strong terms.  Aviation globally frowns at such a scenario.”

Aviation analyst and CEO, Centurion Security, Group Capt. John Ojikutu (rtd) said, “What the NCAA did is the oversight right given to it by the provisions of the economic regulations in the Nig CARs Part 18 on all operators – government or private and allied services.