Nigeria's largest airline canceled all domestic flights Thursday, following a dispute with aviation workers.

Arik Air said in a statement that it canceled all flights because of a work action in Lagos by the union of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.

A Nigerian newspaper, Business Day, reported that Arik Air owes money to three government agencies, and that workers with those agencies unilaterally grounded the airline's operations Thursday.

The cancelations stranded thousands of passengers at Nigerian airports.

Arik Air's website says it flies to more than a dozen Nigerian cities out of Lagos and the capital, Abuja.

The airline said earlier this week that it has flown 10 million passengers since it began operations in 2006.