NiMeT strike: Passengers stranded as airfares jump over 36%

Passengers travelling to various destinations were stranded on Thursday following the suspension of flight operations by Air Peace, Nigeria’s biggest airline, due to the strike embarked upon by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet).

Airlines raised their ticket prices by over 36 per cent as demand surged, according to BusinessDay’s calculations.

Unions called off strike later on Thursday after the intervention of the federal government.

Air Peace, which handles over 40 percent of domestic flight operations, said on Thursday that it was suspending all its flights, noting the decision was necessary as NiMet is the agency responsible for issuing the Current Nowcast of Hazardous Weather (CNH) reports, which are critical for safe landings, especially during this season of heavy rainfall and thunderstorms.

According to the airline, without these reports from the control tower, flight safety cannot be guaranteed.

While other airlines have relied on alternate sources of weather reports to operate their flight, Air Peace has stuck to NiMet. However, Air Peace’s flight suspension was felt across Nigeria as passengers who had earlier booked Air Peace flights sought alternatives from other airlines yesterday.

On Thursday morning, there was no single flight from Lagos to Abuja as all seats were sold out. A one-way economy class ticket from Lagos to Abuja scheduled for Friday costs between N140,000 and N200,000 on Thursday afternoon. Few days ago, the same ticket cost between N100,000 and N150,000. The increase represents a 36 per cent jump.

Similarly, a one-way economy class ticket from Lagos to Port Harcourt, which was earlier priced between N110,000 and N160,000, cost N150,000 – N370,000 on Thursday, representing a 50 percent increase.

As of Thursday afternoon, all seats from Lagos to Asaba were sold out for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. A return ticket from Lagos to Asaba, which was scheduled for Sunday, cost N140,000 – N400,000 as against N100,00- N150,000 earlier, representing a 115 percent increase.

“I paid N197,500 for Air Peace to Abuja from Enugu. Enugu Airport is closed for runway maintenance. I came to Abuja by road as I was informed of harsh conditions awaiting me in Asaba. I paid an extra N5,000 to change the ticket to fly from Abuja to Lagos on Sunday. If this announcement and action are sustained till Sunday, that means I have to borrow money for another ticket,” a passenger, who would not want his name mentioned, said.

Chima Ude, another passenger who was affected by Air Peace’s flight suspension, said he had an engagement in Anambra for Thursday morning and had no choice but to book another airline which cost him over N200,000.

“While we understand that Air Peace is doing its best to operate safely, what I don’t understand is why other airlines just took advantage of the situation to make money. This is indeed sad and should not be encouraged,” Ude said.

Information from flight radar on Thursday morning showed various flights in Nigeria airspace, including flights enroute Lagos, Kano and Port Harcourt.

International airlines are also on the radar flying into Nigeria as of Thursday morning.

BusinessDay’s checks show that apart from NiMet reports, airlines have access to other means of accessing weather reports, which include internationally recognised weather data sources, such as real-time satellite monitoring, global aviation meteorology systems, pilot weather reports and other air traffic control services.

United Nigeria Airlines on Wednesday affirmed that its flight operations remain fully safe, reliable, and compliant with aviation regulatory standards.

In a public statement issued on Thursday, the airline expressed its commitment to ensuring safety, comfort and confidence of its passengers during this period of uncertainty.

The statement, signed by Chibuike Uloka, public relations officer of the airline, highlighted proactive measures already in place to guarantee uninterrupted operations across its routes.

“United Nigeria Airlines wishes to reassure our valued passengers and the general flying public that our flight operations remain safe, reliable, and fully compliant with regulatory standards, despite the ongoing industrial action by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet),” the statement read in part.

The airline noted that alternative arrangements had been made to bridge any potential gaps.

“Our flight planning and dispatch teams are fully equipped and working round-the-clock to ensure that all safety protocols are strictly observed, and passenger comfort remains uninterrupted,” the airline affirmed.

Air Peace airlines had on Wednesday announced the suspension of all its flight operations nationwide with immediate effect due to the ongoing strike NiMet.

The strike is backed by three industry unions – National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE) and Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP).

The circular added, “In the light of management’s inability to address our given concerns and being that we can no longer continue to cope with present hardships and especially as the ultimatum given to the management has expired, we have no choice than to resume the suspended strike.

“Accordingly, all staff of Nimet nationwide are hereby directed to withdraw all service from the agency indefinitely with effect from midnight of Tuesday, April 22, 2025 without exception until otherwise directed.”

Unions call off strike

The staff of NiMET called off the strike after the federal government’s intervention.

After a meeting with Festus Keyamo, tl minister of aviation and aerospace development in Abuja, the strike was called off.

Culled from Business Day