Air Peace sacks 70 pilots, cuts salaries by 40%

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 .

 The new salaries reflect a zero per cent - 40 per cent cut of the former salary , depending on the salary grades of every staff . 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 .

“ Air Peace has never , for one day , ever owed salaries to its workers in its almost six years of existence, pilots inclusive . Rather , the management of Air Peace has always been known to be increasing salaries of its employees periodically , without being prompted by staff .

“ In fact , in one fell swoop , Air Peace increased the salaries of pilots by over 100 per cent in one day . Our salaries have always been paid even before the end of the month in the last five years .

“ The decision is a reflection of the negative impact of the pandemic on airlines and aviation worldwide .

“ We are in trying times . Even the biggest airlines in Europe , America , Middle East , Asia , Australia and , indeed , Africa , are all either slashing jobs and cutting salaries in order to remain afloat or are shutting down.

“ Air Peace is not immune from these challenges . ”