Air Peace, a Nigerian airline
ABUJA, July 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — At least 70 pilots have been sacked at one of Nigeria’s main airlines, Air Peace, in a restructuring which the company says became important in order for the company to stay afloat.
The airline said it had two options: Either to sack and reduce the salaries of staff members who remained or be unable to pay salaries and fulfil other financial responsibilities. It chose the former.
Few weeks ago, the airline’s boss, Allen Onyema, called on the government to provide the aviation industry with bailouts to enable airlines stay afloat.
But airlines have not been included in the government’s $6bn COVID-19 stimulus plan which would see various sectors of the economy given access to loans to lessen effects of the pandemic.
A statement from Air Peace spokesperson, Stanley Olisa, said the review was first done in terms of pay cuts of between zero to 40% depending on the salary grades. But that was not enough to help the airline.
Even though domestic air travel has now reopened in Nigeria, the damage is already done.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) had said that for each month the aviation sector was closed, the industry in Nigeria was losing $77m.
In other developments, secondary schools in Nigeria reopened on Tuesday for classes almost four months after they closed to halt the spread of coronavirus.
Final-year students now have just two weeks to prepare for their exams.
Face masks, social distancing and hand-washing facilities are mandatory within all schools, the education ministry says.
There are indications the government may be using this reopening to test-run the system for possibly opening all schools in Nigeria.
Till date, 44,433 cases have been confirmed in Nigeria, 31,851 cases have been discharged and 910 deaths have been recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory — NNN-AGENCIES
