Domestic and international airlines in Nigeria have maintained their operations without any disruptions, despite the ongoing strike by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency.
It was reported that Air Peace, Nigeria’s largest domestic airline, suspended flight operations on Wednesday due to the ongoing strike by NiMet workers.
However, findings reveal that all other airlines in Nigeria have continued to operate flights despite the ongoing strike without disruption, according to BusinessDay.
NiMet is the agency responsible for providing weather reports to airlines and pilots, ensuring safe flight operations.
Information from Flight Radar on Thursday morning showed various flights operating in Nigeria’s airspace, including those en route to Lagos, Kano, and Port Harcourt.
International airlines were also visible on the radar, flying into Nigeria as of Thursday morning.
Checks reveal that, in addition to NiMet reports, airlines can access other weather data sources, including real-time satellite monitoring, global aviation meteorology systems, pilot weather reports, and air traffic control services.
United Nigeria Airlines confirmed on Wednesday that its flight operations remain safe, reliable, and fully compliant with aviation regulatory standards.
In a public statement released on Thursday, the airline reiterated its commitment to ensuring the safety, comfort, and confidence of its passengers amid the ongoing uncertainty.
The statement, signed by Chibuike Uloka, Public Relations Officer of the airline, emphasized the proactive steps taken to ensure seamless and 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 stated that alternative arrangements have been put in place to address 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 noted.
Air Peace Airlines announced the suspension of all its flight operations nationwide on Wednesday, effective immediately, due to the ongoing NiMet strike.
In a statement, the airline explained that the decision was necessary as NiMet is responsible for issuing CNH (Current Nowcast of Hazardous Weather) reports, which are vital for safe landings, particularly during the heavy rainfall and thunderstorms typical of this season. Without these reports from the control tower, flight safety could not be ensured.
“As a safety-first airline, we have chosen to act responsibly by suspending operations until NiMet resumes full service.
“We understand this may cause inconvenience, and we sincerely apologize. Passengers will be contacted with updates and options for rescheduling,” the airline stated.
In a letter, the Union of Air Transport Employees, the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals, and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical, and Recreational Services Employees accused NiMet management of failing to honor agreements made to resolve long-standing remuneration issues.
“As you are all aware, our unions have strived strenuously over the past few years to alleviate the exceedingly unjust remunerations conundrum that has visited extreme poverty and consequent untold hardship on NiMet workers. These efforts have been largely without substantial results,” the letter read.
The unions expressed frustration over the management’s failure to implement a partial agreement reached on January 28, 2025. “You are equally aware that the agreement between the management and our unions since 28th January 2025 towards partial amelioration of the above-stated condition has been honoured largely only in the breach.”
