Hundreds of passengers scheduled to travel with Turkish Airlines on Tuesday had their movements disrupted after aviation workers shut down the airline’s operations at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.

Members of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) staged a protest at the airport and picketed the airline’s counters at the international terminal over the alleged dismissal of seven union members.

The union members were seen in large numbers carrying placards and chanting solidarity songs while accusing the airline’s management in Nigeria of victimising workers for joining a union.

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The unions claimed that the affected workers had yet to receive their benefits years after their dismissal. They also alleged that the airline dismissed the seven employees in 2020 over their involvement in union activities.

In a circular signed by Sikiru Waheed, General Secretary of NUATE, and dated March 9, 2026, the union accused the airline of defying Nigerian laws and the ruling of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NIC).

The circular read in part: “Following the continued insistence of the management of Turkish Airlines to flagrantly disobey the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Labour Act, and despite our best efforts to resolve ongoing cases of severe intimidation, harassment and victimisation of our members for joining the union, and following the refusal of the management of Turkish Airlines to honour the ruling of the National Industrial Court (NIC) to pay the sacked executive members of the airline, it has become inevitable to embark on lawful measures to compel the management to comply with Nigerian laws in respect of unionisation of workers.”

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.

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