Stranded passengers lament 14-hour flights delay

Ground handling and ramp service workers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos yesterday returned to work after disrupting international flights for 14 hours.

Their resumption of work followed the intervention by industry regulators and stakeholders as well as fruitful meetings between the  Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO Aviance) Plc and aviation unions.

NAHCO, the employer of the striking workers,  handles check-in, boarding and ramp services for several international airlines such as Air France/ KLM, Qatar, Ethiopian Airlines, Delta Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Turkish Air as well as Nigeria’s Air Peace.

The industry regulators that intervened include Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

Ground handling and ramp service workers are persons who provide ancillary services to airlines.  They had embarked on strike over what they termed “poor welfare.”

NAHCO Aviance management said in a statement after the meeting that some resolutions were reached that made the workers go back to work.

The resolutions are that NAHCO Aviance should withdraw the suit it instituted at the National Industrial Court (NIC) against the workers’ unions; resumption of negotiation on staff welfare beginning tomorrow and non-victimisation of any worker because of the strike.

NAHCO Aviance   Group Executive Director, Dr Sola Obabori, appreciated the understanding of the airlines and passengers who were inconvenienced and aviation stakeholders for their intervention.

As of   6.30 pm yesterday,  scores of intending passengers at the new international wings of the MMIA and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja,  were seen with their luggage awaiting information from the airlines on the next line of action.

Passengers booked on Africa World Airlines, Air Peace, South African Airways, Qatar Airways and ASKY Airlines, who  were the worst hit, lamented that the strike had disrupted their travel schedules

At the NAIA,  Jennifer Osezele, a Master”s student in the United Kingdom said her flight scheduled with Qatar Airways for 3. 20 pm was rescheduled for  1 a.m.

Osezele lamented that by rescheduling of the flight, she would be spending hours at the airport before her new departure time.

She said: “The staff did not attend to any passengers. I have been here with my friends for about three hours now for an international flight scheduled for 3:20 p.m. to Manchester by Qatar Airways.

“If the flight is to be cancelled, at least they should have let us know on time. Later, we received information that our fight had been rescheduled till 1 a.m. So we are going to be here for a long time.

“That means I am going to spend about 12 hours at the airport. There are people here with kids. Their kids are crying. They don’t know what to do; if to return home or to stay. “

Another intending passenger, Subhas Chamdma, who was going to Delhi, India with Ethiopian Airlines, said his flight departure in real time was 1.25 pm. but it was changed to 6.40 p.m.

“I have been here since morning. I am going to Delhi. We did not receive any information from them for long before the flight delay message came in,” he lamented.

Before the strike was shelved,  a Qatar flight from Doha was turned back from landing at the NAIA, thereby causing family members who had come to pick up their loved ones to feel worried.

(Nation)