Union seeks forex concession for foreign airlines

The National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) has appealed to the Ministry of Aviation to grant foreign airlines operating in Nigeria the concession to repatriate monies made from ticket sales to their countries.

The appeal came on the heels of reports received that foreign airlines in the country are planning to lay off about 2,000 workers to cut cost following their inability to transfer their earnings to their various countries as result of the prohibiting Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Forex policy.

The union made its position known in a letter titled, “Save Our Souls And The Jobs Of Over 2,000 Aviation Workers”, to the Minister State, Aviation, Alhaji Hadi Sirika.
In the letter the union’s Acting General Secretary, Olayinka Abioye said as a result of the policy, foreign airlines have devised ways, inimical to safety and security, to beat the policy.

According to Abioye, “Information has just filtered into our ears that all is not well with the foreign airlines operating into Nigeria as it is planning massive reduction in the numbers of its employees, (over two thousand) in order to cut costs and shrink its operations. The reason being adduced for this “danger” is that their earnings in the past year is under lock with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), as they are unable to transfer these earnings to their respective home countries to meet operational costs, in accordance with international rules”.