Aero Airlines loses N600m to strike

THE ongoing protest of the staff of Aero Airline against its management has cost the airline a whopping N600 million.
The development came even as the airline management is said to have started distributing sack letters to its staffers following break down in communication between the two parties.
The strike which started last week Wednesday has entered its sixth day today with no end in sight.
Aero Airlines, which presently has 12 aircraft in its fleet, majorly Boeing 737-400 aircraft with the configuration of 144 seats in all cabins, flies to Abuja, Port Harcourt, Warri, Benin, Uyo, Kano, Enugu, Jos and Sokoto on the local scenes while it also operates regional flights.
On the average the airline has 50 landings on all routes daily.
The Nigerian Tribune has, however, gathered that the airline makes about N110 million daily on ticket sales on all routes, but the strike has disrupted its cash flow.
Sources also hinted that no fewer than three meetings had been held between the management and the unions but without success as none of the parties was willing to shift ground.
The workers, through the unions had demanded for the immediate sack of the Director of Human Resources, Mrs. Temitope Fagbemi; Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Mr. Enyi Omoke and the General Manager, Rotary Wing, Mr. Feyi Akinbile for their actions in putting the airline in a state of crisis in recent time.













The source alleged that the workers were unhappy due to the failure of the management to release money on time for purchase of aircraft parts while top management staff were purchasing vehicles for themselves.
The workers had alleged that  Omoke was recently given a Benz G class worth N12 million, while Fagbemi had a Prado jeep worth N9.7 million, while Akinbile also received a similar ‘gift’ worth N9.7 million.
The workers are also protesting the inability of the management to increase their salaries in the past seven years while the company pays for senior management staff’s children’s school and holiday abroad and also provide three drums of diesel every month to some of the senior staff members’ generators.
However, the management insisted that it would not change its working plans saying it was for the good of the airline.
According to an industry source, “The strike embarked upon by the unions is ill-timed and unfortunate at this time of the season. One would have expected them to reach a compromise. The industry will suffer while this may even lead to loss of jobs to some of the staff.”
Meanwhile, unions had given the airline’s management 21 days to reverse the redeployment of at least 41 vehicle drivers of the airline to another company, which expired last Tuesday.
But the management in a statement sent by the airline’s media agent, SY&T Communications stated that it was already engaging the unions in discussion to find a quick and amicable resolution to the crisis.