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Nigeria’s Aviation Minister, Festus Keyamo, convened an emergency meeting on Thursday with airlines, unions, and aviation agency heads to resolve disputes that led to a temporary disruption of airport operations on August 11, the ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
The meeting followed the temporary suspension of industrial action by the unions on Tuesday, according to the statement signed by Permanent Secretary Mahmud Adam Kambari.
“As a follow-up to the previous engagements with the Aviation Sector Unions and the Airline Operators of Nigeria, concerning the temporary suspension of industrial action by the Unions on Tuesday, 11” August, 2026, the Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, CON, earlier today, convened an emergency meeting aimed at resolving the burning issues to foster greater understanding, cooperation and progress within the Nigerian aviation sector,” Kambari wrote.
The parties reached several resolutions after extensive deliberations, he noted.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and other aviation agency heads will obtain payment schedules from airlines, spread over a reasonable timeframe, taking into account airlines’ operating costs and current economic realities, according to Kambari.
Directors of finance and accounts in all aviation agencies will meet with individual airlines to agree on a realistic repayment plan within one week, he added.
The minister recognised workers’ right to decide whether to belong to unions, Kambari said.
“The Honourable Minister of Aviation recognises the right of workers to decide not to belong or to belong to Unions; the Honourable Minister also recognises the rights of the workers to decide for themselves, rather than through management,” Kambari wrote.
The NCAA is to ensure that unions have direct access to workers of all airlines to distribute forms for workers to indicate whether they intend to unionise, he stated.
“Any airline that prevents this direct interface will be sanctioned by the NCAA,” Kambari said.
The parties resolved that a meeting will be reconvened after one month to review progress, according to him.
The minister reiterated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to maintaining “a safe, efficient, peaceful and sustainable aviation industry,” Kambari added.
Following the recent face-off between Aviation Unions and some airlines in the country which led to temporary disruption of activities at some airports on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, I convened a meeting of all the airlines, the Unions and the heads of Aviation Agencies earlier…
— Festus Keyamo, SAN, CON, FCIArb (UK) (@fkeyamo) August 13, 2026
