Air Traffic Controllers Begin Two-day Strike After Death Of Colleague In Abuja
The warning strike is a prelude to a total industrial action scheduled to begin next week. Air traffic controllers across the country on Tuesday morning embarked on a two-day warning strike.
The warning strike is a prelude to a total industrial action scheduled to begin next week.
It was gathered that flights were not disrupted at airports nationwide but they were experiencing some delay.
The strike action is coming a day after the death of an air traffic controller, Aniekan Effiong, who slumped at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
Effiong, who was until his death, an Assistant General Manager, Operations, with the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, was said to have died at the Abuja station of the agency around 4am on Monday.
It was learnt that he resumed work on Sunday evening and was supposed to close on Monday morning before he experienced breathing difficulty and passed on.
The death of an air traffic controller, Mr Aniekan Inuktitut Effiong at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja on Monday has sparked a serious operational crisis across the airports as the National Association of Air Traffic Controllers (NATCA) has directed all-controlling units at airports nationwide operate ‘flow control’.
Operating flow control means flights will be delayed with many passengers getting stranded across the airports from today.
Though the controllers in their statement promised to exempt international flights from the disruption, but obviously, the flow control cannot totally exempt foreign flights as it is the same controllers that will still clear any foreign flights from landing or take off.
The inability of the outbound passengers to get to the four international airports which are the targets of the aggrieved controllers to catch any of the foreign flights will obviously affect the operations of the foreign carriers.
The controllers in a statement issued said it arrived at the decision after an exhaustive meeting held following the circumstances surrounding the death of their colleagues while on duty.
The statement partly read: Our noble profession met yesterday and discussed extensively the state of ATC operations vis-a-vis our collective survival within the system. After deliberating until the wee hours of this morning, the council has resolved as follows: That the ATC system and operations in Nigeria have been skewed and operated with complete disregard to the well-being of ATCOs.
“That the managers of the system have consistently refused to act in good faith in order to reverse the ugly situation, resulting in one death too many. That despite ALL entreaties from the EXCO, no action seems to be initiated to resolve any of the issues, hence, we are constrained to use any other means at our disposal to register and send out our frustration with the system.
“That commencing from 0600 UTC today, 23rd November 2021 ALL ATC units nationwide should operate flow control. That ALL departures should be spaced at 20 minutes intervals. That ALL international flights are exempt. That ALL ATCOs should endeavour to be on high alert should there be a need to escalate this exercise beyond flow control, we are ready to further such actions. That this exercise will be for two days and will be strictly executed at the four major airports with strict coordination from adjacent aerodromes before any startup is issued. The EXCO therefore solicits for your maximum cooperation in order to get our message out loud and clear.”
Following the latest, flight operations particularly domestic operations have been thrown into confusion with many airlines caught unawares.
Many flights have been negatively affected with passengers left stranded and confused at the airports.
Key players have described the action of the air traffic controllers as a prelude to an imminent total strike in view of the ‘slow control’ type of service they are rendering
meaning that in places like Lagos airport, departures are granted at 20 minutes intervals.
Already many of the airlines are crying blue murder as their flight operations have been disrupted with passengers calling for their necks.
According to an airline executive: “My 6.45 am flight to Abuja got airborne at 8.15 am. This is looking like it’s going to be a long day.
“Our 7:00 Port Harcourt flight is currently (8:45 am) number 20 in the sequence. Our Owerri of 7:30 am is currently number 12 in the sequence. An Arik flight which is number three has just been told not to expect startup clearance before 9:40 am in an hour. We are calling all our passengers right now”.
As at the time of visiting the Lagos airport around 9 am, the departure halls at both the General Aviation Terminal and the one at the MMA2 private terminal were filled with passengers waiting hopelessly for their flights while the airlines officials were running helter-skelter in disarray.
