The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has appealed to aviation unions to suspend their ongoing industrial action and exercise restraint, assuring air travellers that flight safety remains uncompromised.
Director General, Civil Aviation, Capt. Chris Najomo made the appeal in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.
TheFact Daily reports that the appeal came as the industrial action continued to disrupt aviation operations, leaving passengers and other stakeholders affected.
NCAA urged the unions to “sheath their swords” pending the return of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, who it said had been actively working to resolve the issues behind the dispute.
According to the NCAA, the matter could have been addressed at a meeting convened by the minister last week, but the meeting could not take place because airline operators failed to honour the invitation.
“The NCAA appeals to the unions to sheathe their swords and exercise restraint pending the return of the Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, who has been actively working towards resolving the issues,” Najomo said.
He explained that the minister had already initiated efforts to bring the parties together, stressing that dialogue remained the most effective way of resolving the dispute.
The aviation authority, however, assured passengers that the industrial action had not compromised safety standards, noting that it continued to discharge its statutory oversight responsibilities.
“The NCAA assures the travelling public that flight safety remains uncompromised and that the Authority continues to exercise its statutory safety oversight responsibilities,” the statement said.
Najomo further appealed to all parties involved in the dispute to embrace dialogue and cooperation, expressing optimism that the crisis would soon be resolved.
“We are confident that the matter will be resolved shortly and normal flight operations will resume as soon as practicable,” he said.
The NCAA also expressed regret over the inconvenience caused to passengers by the industrial action and appealed for their patience and understanding as efforts continued to restore normal flight operations.
