NCAA orders arrest, prosecution of Air Peace driver over runway blockade

A driver for the Nigerian airline Air Peace is facing arrest and prosecution after allegedly driving a bus onto the Lagos airport runway and abandoning it during a union picket. The incident occurred Tuesday as unions picketed the airline over issues including unpaid aviation agency charges and difficulties for employees joining trade unions.

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Yes, I’ve been busy with some other things in the early part of today. I was meeting the airlines at a meeting we had earlier scheduled, but from what I was able to gather from the other agency was that, during the enforcement of the picketing, a driver drove the large bus to the runway, parked and left the place.

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) confirmed the event and vowed to pursue sanctions. NCAA spokesperson Michael Achimugu stated that the driver's actions were "seriously uncalled for" and that "necessary portions of the act will be invoked."

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had to tow the vehicle from the runway to allow for normal operations. However, Air Peace spokesperson Efe Whiskey-Osifo dismissed the allegations, questioning the claim that the bus blocked the runway and demanding photographic evidence.

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We have ordered that the driver in question be identified and arrested for onward prosecution. How can somebody block the runway? That is seriously uncalled for. We’ll investigate, and the necessary portions of the act will be invoked.

The picketing was organized by the National Union of Air Transport Employees, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, and National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, with support from the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress. They claim to have given airlines weeks to resolve grievances regarding ticket sales charges and workers' rights.

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Show me your pictures. Do you know the runway better than I do? The bus did not block the runway. Do you know what a runway is?