The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, CON, has summoned aviation stakeholders to an emergency meeting as the Federal Government steps up efforts to prevent renewed industrial action and resolve mounting tensions between airline operators and sector unions.
The meeting, held on Thursday, August 13, 2026, followed earlier engagements between the Aviation Sector Unions, the Airline Operators of Nigeria and the ministry, which resulted in the temporary suspension of the unions’ planned industrial action on Tuesday.
According to a statement issued by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mahmud Adam Kambari, the emergency meeting was convened by Keyamo to tackle the “burning issues” threatening industrial harmony and the stability of the aviation sector.
One of the major resolutions was for the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and other aviation agencies to obtain payment schedules from airlines over their outstanding obligations.
The payments, the stakeholders agreed, are to be spread over a “reasonable timeframe” while taking into account the airlines’ operating costs and prevailing economic realities.
The ministry also directed the Directors of Finance and Accounts in all aviation agencies to engage individual airlines and agree on realistic repayment plans within one week.
The move is expected to ease financial pressures on operators while ensuring that obligations to aviation agencies are gradually settled.
The meeting also tackled the contentious issue of workers’ unionisation, with Keyamo affirming the right of aviation workers to freely decide whether or not to belong to unions.
“The Honourable Minister recognises the right of workers to decide not to belong or to belong to unions,” the statement said.
Keyamo further stressed that workers must be allowed to make such decisions directly rather than having management make the choice on their behalf.
As part of the resolution, the NCAA was directed to immediately ensure that unions have direct access to workers across all airlines for the purpose of distributing union membership forms.
Workers, according to the resolution, are expected to independently indicate whether they wish to unionise.
The ministry issued a stern warning to airlines that may attempt to frustrate the process, declaring that any airline that prevents unions from having direct access to its workers “will be sanctioned by the NCAA.”
The stakeholders also agreed to reconvene after one month to assess progress made in implementing the resolutions and review the prevailing situation in the sector.
The ministry said all the resolutions reached at the meeting represented the collective decisions of the parties involved.
Keyamo, while assuring stakeholders of the Federal Government’s commitment to a safe and viable aviation industry, reiterated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration’s determination to maintain a “safe, efficient, peaceful and sustainable aviation industry.”
The emergency intervention comes against the backdrop of growing industrial tensions in the aviation sector, with unions and airline operators locked in disputes over issues including workers’ unionisation and financial obligations.
The latest resolutions are therefore aimed at preventing the disputes from escalating into disruptions that could affect airlines, workers and millions of air travellers across the country.
Kambari said the ministry would continue to engage relevant stakeholders to ensure that the aviation sector remains stable, productive and capable of supporting Nigeria’s economic growth.
