The labour crisis rocking Aerocontractors Airlines is far from over as the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has restricted the embattled carrier to operating only three out of its nine operational aircraft. Aero has about 14 aircraft in its fleet but only nine are currently in operation.
The industrial dispute with its 1,300 employees had left Aero grounded for 18 days from March 13 to March 30, 2013. The airline, however, resumed operations last Saturday following the intervention of the Senate.
The carrier resumed after the Chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation, Mr. Hope Uzodinma, met with the management, NCAA and the workers’ union in Abuja, and directed the airline to recall the over 600 dismissed workers, who allegedly participated in protests against a court injunction.
Although all the workers have resumed, only a few of them have been cleared to work by the management of the airline. Sources close to the airline disclosed that NCAA restricted the carrier’s operations to only three planes because the number of cabin crew and other workers cleared to work by the management could only cope with three planes.
A top official of Aero explained, “The reason the remaining six planes are not working is simply because Aero management is not ready to clear all the workers to resume work. Although the Senate had directed that all workers should resume, the management is currently carrying out what it called re-assessment for some workers.
Aero is currently experiencing what industry observers have described as the worst crisis in its 53 years of existence. The crisis has affected domestic air travel, which is currently being dominated by Aero and Arik in terms of wide route network. Several passengers were stranded during the Easter rush just as many passed though hell to buy scarce flight tickets during the period. Airfares are still on the rise as a consequence.
Via Punch
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