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The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has appealed to aviation unions to suspend their ongoing industrial action, urging them to embrace dialogue pending the return of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN.
The appeal came as the industrial action continued to disrupt flight operations and inconvenience passengers and other stakeholders across the aviation sector.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Director General of Civil Aviation, Capt. Chris Ona Najomo, acknowledged the impact of the dispute and urged all parties to exercise restraint while efforts are made to resolve the issues.
Najomo said the dispute was expected to have been addressed at a meeting convened by Keyamo last week, but the meeting could not take place because airline operators failed to honour the minister’s invitation.
He urged the unions and other stakeholders to return to the negotiating table, expressing confidence that the outstanding issues would be resolved soon and normal flight operations restored as quickly as practicable.
The NCAA also moved to reassure the travelling public that the industrial action had not compromised flight safety.
According to the authority, it remains fully committed to its statutory responsibility of providing safety oversight of the Nigerian aviation industry and continues to monitor aviation operations to ensure compliance with established safety standards.
The regulator regretted the difficulties passengers were experiencing as a result of the industrial action and appealed for their patience and understanding.
The NCAA said it remained hopeful that continued dialogue and cooperation among the parties would lead to an early resolution of the dispute and the restoration of normal operations across the sector.