Domestic airline operators, under the aegis of Airline Operators of Nigeria, AON, have called off their planned suspension of flights which was billed to commence on Monday.
A statement signed by the President of AON, Alhaji Abdulmunaf Yunusa Sarina and endorsed by other members said they have listened to the appeal by stakeholders and the Federal Government for them not to withdraw their services.
The statement read:
The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) wishes to inform the general public that further to numerous calls from the highest echelons in government with promises to urgently intervene in the crises being faced by airlines due to the astronomic and continuously rising cost of JetA1, that the AON has acceded to requests to withdraw the action for the time being while we allow for a fresh round of dialogue with government in the hope of reaching an amicable solution.
We have also reached this decision with the highest consideration for our esteemed customers who have been faced with uncertainty over the last few days and to enable them to have access to travel to their various destinations for the time being during the period of discussions with relevant authorities.
The AON President said:
In view of the above and in the interest of national economy and security considerations, AON hereby wishes to notify the general public that the earlier announced shutdown of operations on May 9, 2022 is hereby suspended in good fate pending the outcome of hopefully fruitful engagement with government.
Meanwhile, several Nigerians have reacted to the suspension of the strike by airline operators. They stated that the move to quickly have the AON to suspend the strike was necessitated by the fact that consultations ahead of the 2023 general elections are on and politicians will need the services of airlines.
They, however, called on the Federal Government to channel the same energy to the ongoing ASUU strike and ensure that university students return to classrooms.
