AVIATION activities were, on Thursday, grounded to a halt at the Murtala Mohammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, as the industry unions grounded the operations of Arik Air over alleged N20 billion debts.

The development came even as the airline management announced that it had suspended its domestic operations until issues regarding the debt are resolved.

The airline, through its managing director, Chris Ndulie, threatened that the airline would not hesitate to stop local operations if the Federal Government did not intervene.

The aviation unions had, as early as 6.00 a.m., assembled all the workers of the aviation agencies after which they proceeded to the General Aviation Terminal to stop the airline from operating.

Based on the development, hundreds of Arik Air’s passengers to various routes in the country were stranded.

The unions, led by the Air Transport Senior Staff Services of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), stormed the operational base of Arik Air and sent away the staff of the airline from their counters.

President of ATSSSAN, Benjamin Okewu, told journalists that the unions decided to ground the operations of the airline over the debts owed various agencies over the years.

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