Air Nigeria fires 12 engineers, pilots

The news filtered through the aviation industry, on Wednesday, that Air Nigeria, one of the domestic airlines in the country, had sacked scores of pilots and engineers on its pay roll, that have links with National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE). According to information gathered, those affected were 12 in number, with the allegation that all those sacked belonged to NAAPE, the umbrella body for pilots and engineers in the aviation industry. While it was not specific as to why they were sacked, the NAAPE president, Isaac Balami, confirmed the sack and added that the workers were sacked on Monday. However, he did not speak on the association’s next line of action, but feelers reaching the paper suggested that the professional body may have drawn the battle line with the airline. The chairman of Air Nigeria, however, confirmed the sack to the Nigerian Tribune at about 7.56p.m, on Wednesday, saying it was true that the workers were actually sacked. The decision to sack the technical staff might not be unconnected with the role they played in recent strike, which the pilots and engineers embarked upon since November 2011 and backed by their national body, NAAPE. Pilots and engineers in Air Nigeria had embarked on strike for alleged interference and presurising the head of maintenance to operate unserviceable aircraft. The strike, which grounded the airlines operations, also made their passengers stranded as pilots refused to fly the aircraft while engineers did not certify the airplanes for flight operations. The NAAPE president, Engr Isaac Balami, had told journalists then that the technical grounding of the airline’s flights became necessary following the sack of the Head of Maintenance of the airlines, James Erigba for daring to tell the management that aircraft with snags and due for maintenance could not be used for flight operations. In his reaction then, Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim accused the workers of mischief saying they did not follow due process before embarking on the strike.