AERO CONTRACTOR FLIGHTS GROUNDED AS STAFF GO ON INDUSTRIAL STRIKE
Thursday, March 14, 2013Omoba
All Aero Contractors flights were grounded on
Wednesday and passengers were stranded nationwide, following an industrial
action embarked upon by staff of the troubled airline.
Nigeria’s second biggest airline has been
struggling for almost two years and was last year taken over by the Assets
Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON, because of its heavy debts.
Exact demands of the staff were not known at press
time, but a source told our correspondent that they bordered on unpaid salaries
and poor conditions of service.
Aero Management apologised in a brief statement for
“the inconvenience suffered by our highly esteemed customers due to an abrupt
industrial action by our staff which has led to grounding of all our scheduled
operations.” The airline said it is engaging with the unions to find a quick
and amicable resolution.
“Further details will be given in due course,” the
airline said. At the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 2, passengers moved to
board other airlines such as Dana Air and IRS.
Many passengers who had booked Aero flights online
were yet to be attended to.
Aero Contractors has tried to cut costs for years and stopped giving passengers
free snacks on board more than three years ago. It is the only airline in
Nigeria that gives nothing to air travellers during flights.
With the price of Jet A1, as aviation fuel is
known, now sky high, many Nigerian airlines have been struggling. While some
have been grounded over the past year, others are simply gasping for breath.
Source: P.M NEWS
Source: P.M NEWS
0 comments