Strike by Arik Air cabin crew leaves passengers stranded across Nigeria

An unannounced industrial action by the cabin crew of Arik Air leaft hundreds of its passengers stranded in various airports across the country.

Lagos and Abuja were the worst hit as the airline has its major customers there.

The cabin crew commenced the strike action this morning without prior notice over what they termed “non- increment of their salaries and allowances”.

Several passengers milled around terminal B of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja where the airline operates from.

Some other airlines reportedly took advantage of the situation to sell tickets to the stranded passengers at exorbitant rates, ranging from N40,000 to N50,000 for the Abuja-to-Lagos route.

An official of the airline told NAN that the crew members were demanding allowances that hitherto applied when Arik Air operated long haul routes like New York, London and Johannesburg.

According to him, when those flights where happening, a crew member could accumulate between 100 and 120 flying hours which came with special bonuses and they also enjoyed special allowances.

“For instance, the New York flight attracted 100 dollars allowance per night while the London flight attracted 60 pounds per night, multiply by the number of nights spent abroad,” the official said.

“The crew members Are still demanding for same working conditions as before which may not be possible as they also do not work as before.

“The current Arik Air management introduced an attractive working condition for staff you can’t find in the industry.

“For instance, the staff received their December salary on the 20th, a feat that has never happened before.”