Air Peace suspends flight operations nationwide over NiMet strike

Air Peace Airlines has announced the suspension of all its flight operations nationwide with immediate effect due to the ongoing strike by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet).

In a statement by the airline, it said the decision is necessary because NiMet is the agency responsible for issuing CNH (Current Nowcast of Hazardous Weather) reports, which are critical for safe landings, especially during this season of heavy rainfall and thunderstorms. Without these reports from the control tower, flight safety cannot be guaranteed.

“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.

The strike is backed by three industry unions: National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE) and Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP).

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The unions in a circular to their members in the agency said that they had strived strenuously over the past few years to alleviate the exceedingly unjust remunerations conundrum that had visited extreme poverty and consequent untold hardship on Nimet workers, but regretted that these efforts had no substantial result.

The unions also lamented that the agreements between the Nimet management and them since January 29, 2025, towards partial amelioration of the conditions had been breached.

The circular added: “In the light of management’s inability to address our given concerns and being that we can no longer continue to cope with present hardships and especially as the ultimatum given to the management has expired, we have no choice but to resume the suspended strike.

“Accordingly, all staff of Nimet nationwide are hereby directed to withdraw all service from the agency indefinitely with effect from midnight of Tuesday, April 22, 2025, without exception until otherwise directed.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

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.