ATSSSAN threatens nationwide flight disruption over police invitation
Air transport operations across Nigeria could face disruption as the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) warned that it may be unable to guarantee the continuation of flights nationwide if its leaders are detained by the police in Abuja.
The warning follows an invitation issued by the Nigeria Police Force at the instance of Air Peace management over the unions’ picketing of the airline on August 11, 2026.
In a notice dated September 1, 2026, titled “Notification of Invitation by the Nigeria Police Headquarters: Act of Reckless Intimidation by Air Peace Nigeria Ltd,” ATSSSAN Secretary-General, Comrade Fracess Akinjole, said union leaders had decided to honour the police invitation.
The union said the invitation arose from complaints lodged by Air Peace concerning the union’s participation in the August 11 picketing.
ATSSSAN said it would attend the invitation with a sizable number of its officers and members to present what it described as the correct account of the incident and resist what it called intimidation.
The union, however, issued its strongest warning over the possible detention of its officials.
It said that if its leaders were held by the police longer than necessary, it might no longer be able to guarantee the continuation of air operations at airports across the country immediately.
The warning introduces a fresh risk to Nigeria’s aviation sector, where disruptions involving frontline aviation workers can quickly affect passenger handling, airport operations and airline schedules nationwide.
ATSSSAN said the allegations against its members included conspiracy, threatening violence, inciting disturbance of public peace, assault occasioning harm and conduct likely to cause a breach of peace.
The union maintains that the August 11 action was a lawful picketing exercise and said the police invitation should provide an opportunity for it to put the circumstances surrounding the protest on record.
The dispute between the unions and Air Peace now places the aviation industry at a sensitive point, particularly because any escalation involving aviation workers could have consequences beyond the parties directly involved.
ATSSSAN’s decision to attend the police invitation while warning against prolonged detention suggests that the union is seeking to balance compliance with law-enforcement processes against its threat of industrial action.
The August 11 picketing that triggered the police complaint has therefore evolved from a labour dispute into a potential aviation-operations issue, with the possibility of nationwide flight disruption now hanging over the sector.
For airlines, airports, passengers and businesses that depend on reliable air connectivity, the immediate priority will be preventing the dispute from escalating into an industrial action that could disrupt operations across Nigeria’s airports.
The police invitation and the union’s response will therefore be closely watched, particularly over whether the parties can resolve the dispute without the labour confrontation spilling into nationwide aviation operations.
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