Flight operations at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, were abruptly grounded on Friday after aviation workers embarked on an industrial action to protest the Federal Government’s alleged concessioning of the airport.
The protest, which left hundreds of passengers stranded, followed directives from the national leadership of aviation unions, expressing dissatisfaction with the opaque handling of the concession process and the absence of clear provisions for affected workers.
Aviation workers at the airport said they were alarmed by reports that the facility had been concessioned to a South-East governor and a billionaire businessman from Anambra State, with little to no consultation or communication on the future of current staff.
A union source told SaharaReporters, “The airport has been concessioned without taking into consideration the welfare of the workers.
“All we know is that they said full concessioning will come into effect in two years’ time, but nothing was said about the future of the workers when the new owners take over.”
Efforts by the unions to engage government representatives and the alleged concessionaires reportedly yielded no results.
“We tried to meet with them, including one of the South-East governors and a popular billionaire investor, but they’re not telling us anything concrete about staff retention or welfare,” the source added.
The protest led to a total suspension of operations, with passengers forced to vacate the terminal. All Enugu-bound flights from Lagos and Abuja were cancelled, while outbound flights from the state were also grounded.
Enugu Air, one of the affected airlines, confirmed the disruption in a post on 𝕏 (formerly Twitter), “All originating flights from Enugu are currently experiencing delays due to an ongoing airport staff protest. Our team is contacting affected passengers directly.”