Nigeria’s Air Peace sacks pilots, implements salary cuts amid COVID-19 disruption
Nigerian airline Air Peace announced that it had sacked an unspecified number of pilots and reduced staff salaries as a result of the disruptive effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on its operations.
A statement issued by the airline said that the decision was taken for the “greater good of the company” and the thousands of employees on its payroll, including the pilots who were affected.
About 70 pilots were affected by the restructuring, AFP reported citing industry sources. The salary cuts, meanwhile, vary from 0-40 percent depending on the salary grades of the staff.
“The airline cannot afford to toe the path of being unable to continue to fulfill its financial obligations to its staff, external vendors, aviation agencies, maintenance organisations, insurance companies, banks and other creditors,” the statement read in part.
“Hence, the decision to restructure its entire operations with a view to surviving the times,” it added.
The airline also noted that the prevailing situation with the pandemic made it “impossible” for airlines to continue operating without any internal cost restructuring.
“Anything short of what we have done may lead to the collapse of an airline as could be seen in some places worldwide during this period.”
“Even after the cuts, it was obvious that for us to be able to sustain our operations and survive the times, some jobs must inevitably have to go,” it added.
The airline pointed out that the pilots were free to return and apply for employment, if they wished to do so, once the situation normalized.
Air Peace, headquartered in the commercial capital, Lagos, flies to major cities in Nigeria, West Africa and in the Middle East.
Domestic flights in Africa’s most populous country resumed last month after suspension in March as the economy and businesses try to regain a foothold following a tumultuous few months.
Nigeria’s airports, however, remain closed to all international commercial flights with the exception of passenger flights which evacuate people or repatriate Nigerian citizens. Flights for essential services, such as the delivery of food supplies and items for humanitarian use, are also allowed to operate.
The airline like many others across the continent has been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Thousands of employees have been sent on unpaid leave, retrenched or had their salaries reduced to cope with the devastating effects.
