A strike by air traffic controllers grounded all domestic flights in Nigeria yesterday leaving passengers stranded at terminals across the country, an official said.
“For now domestic flights are not taking place as only skeleton services are going on,” Yakubu Dati of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) said.
Dati said international travel had not been affected, with the major carriers that operate in Nigeria — including British Airways, Air France and KLM — continuing with regular services.
The air traffic controllers’ union has made a series of demands for better pay and improved working conditions but it was not immediately clear if they issued a warning about their planned work stoppage.
“The issue is being resolved and I can assure you that everything will soon be ok,” Dati said.
Nigeria’s top domestic carrier, Arik Air, confirmed that it had been grounded.
“We are not flying now because of the industrial action,” a company spokesman said, adding that the airline would resume operations “as soon as the issue is resolved.”
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