Air France -KLM flight operations were on Wednesday grounded at the Muritala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, by members of the National Union of Air Transport Employees, NUATE , over outsourcing of Passenger Documentation to Checkport Securities Nigeria Limited by the airline despite the protest of the Union and Nigerian workers of the airline who have been layoff .

Several passengers of the airline billed to go to Paris, France and Amsterdam were seen stranded as they could not do any checking for their flights. The airline had hurriedly paid one month salary into the Bank accounts of the affected workers as against the Four months severance pay demanded by the unions.

The airline in a statement by its Corporate Communications Spokesperson, Mrs Olufunmilayo Ojesina said that the airline had decided to outsource its passenger documentation control activity in Lagos from the 1st of July 2015 because it was a procedure that is already in place at all Air France-KLM stations worldwide as well as other international airlines in Nigeria.

She insisted that the national union, staff representatives and concerned staff were duly informed of the various steps of this project since November 2014 and numerous negotiation meetings were held with their leading unions.

Ojesina added that “Air France-KLM will continue to do its utmost to find an acceptable solution for all parties involved.”