Local airline to recall sacked pilots

There were indications, yesterday, that Air Peace airline would recall some of the pilots it recently sacked following a standoff.

The development was on the heels of the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika’s meeting with the management and leadership of the National Association of Airline Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) yesterday.

In the verbal agreement reached after the dialogue, the airline’s chairman, Chief Allen Onyema, acceded to the minister’s appeal for the recall of the maximum number of pilots the company could conveniently accommodate.

The airline had last week disengaged 70 pilots, citing financial difficulties in the COVID-19 era. Some of the affected workers, however, said their “sudden” disengagement was not unconnected with the row over pay cut and protest by the pilots.

NAAPE chairman, Galadima Abednego, acknowledged some missteps, hence he sought the minister’s intervention.

He said as a union, it was a painful thing to see a large number of his members thrown into the labour market, appealing to employers to see them as partners.