Air Peace grounds all flights nationwide over NiMet strike

In a major disruption to air travel across the country, Air Peace Airlines has announced the immediate suspension of all its domestic flight operations.

The decision follows the ongoing industrial action by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), which has led to the suspension of critical weather reports needed for safe aviation.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Air Peace described the move as a safety-first measure. The airline pointed specifically to the unavailability of CNH (Current Nowcast of Hazardous Weather) reports—essential weather updates typically provided by NiMet to guide pilots, particularly during Nigeria’s rainy season.

“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).

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.