A Nigerian airline, Air Peace, has sacked over 70 pilots across its fleet.
It also reduced staff salaries by up to 40 per cent.
A member of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers disclosed this to one of our correspondents, craving anonymity.
The source said the number of sacked pilots was between 70 and 75 in total.
The management of the airline, however, linked the pilots’ disengagement to the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pilots had, on July 22, protested a major pay cut after negotiations with the management over their remuneration broke down.
A statement issued on Monday by Mr. Stanley Olise, spokesperson of the airline, described the sacking of the pilots as “painful but rightful decision.”
Part of the statement read, “The airline cannot afford to toe the path of being unable to continue to fulfil its financial obligations to its staff, external vendors, aviation agencies, maintenance organisations, insurance companies, banks and other creditors, hence the decision to restructure its entire operations with a view to surviving the times.
“The pandemic has hit every airline worldwide, so badly that it has become very impossible for airlines to remain afloat without carrying out an internal restructuring of their costs.
“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. Therefore, we decided to review the salaries being paid to all staff.
Punchng
