Airlines, Others Record N3bn Loss As MMA2 Shutdown For 2days
An estimated N3bn may have been lost to the two-day shutdown of the Murtala Muhammed Airport private terminal (MMA2) operated by Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL), it was learnt.
The losses were recorded by airlines, banks, restaurants, business owners and other service providers operating at the terminal.
The MMA2 terminal was shut down on Wednesday by aviation unions comprising the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE).
The unions were protesting what they called the wrongful dismissal of 27 workers by BASL and vowed to sustain the action until the company rescinded the decision to lay off the workers.
After two-day of sustained blockade of the terminal, the two parties eventually reached a truce part of which was the recall of the sacked workers.
A letter signed by BASL’s group executive director, Roger Whittle and group head, human resources, Ola Azeez titled: Re: 15-Day Ultimatum to Recall and Reinstate Workers’ reads:
“Staff of BASL are free (as they have always been) to exercise their right of association by indicating their willingness to join any of the aviation unions. The management shall deduct and remit check off dues as required below.
“The 27 members of the union who were laid off shall be recalled without loss of pay or service and deployed to where their services are required within the Resort Group.
“Thereafter the company intends to declare them redundant and is willing to discuss their redundancy benefits with the unions in accordance with Section 20 of the Labour Act.”
But after the suspension of the action, companies operating at the terminal put their losses to the region of billions.
The airlines operating at the terminal are Arik Air, Med-View Airline, Azman Air, Dana Air, Overland Airways, Max Air and Aero Contractors.
Banks operating cash centres at the terminal are GTB, UBA, Zenith Bank while other service providers include spar, eateries, bookstalls, protocol services, car hire operators, park, cargo freights, fuel suppliers, among others who were affected in the strike.
Dana Air, in a statement by its spokesman, Mr. Kingsley Ezenwa said it lost N100 million on the first day of the lock down of the terminal while BASL said it lost over N120 million while the industrial dispute lasted.
It was learnt that other airlines lost N180m each even as banks were said to be badly hit as they handle almost a billion naira daily.