NCAA Chapter of NAAE Rejects National President’s Position on Ticket Sales Charge Review, Seeks Wider Consultation
Oru Leonard
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). Chapter of the National Association of Air Traffic Engineers (NAAE), has distanced itself from recent comments attributed to the National President of the association regarding the proposed review of the Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) sharing formula, insisting that the position was taken without consultation with its members.
In a communiqué issued at the end of its meeting, the NCAA Chapter stated that while every professional body has the right to advocate for the welfare of its members, the position advanced by the NAAE national leadership does not reflect the views of the chapter.
According to the communiqué, the NCAA Chapter was neither consulted nor involved before the public statement was made, stressing that issues of such national significance require broad-based consultation across all aviation agencies represented within the association.
“We therefore dissociate ourselves from the publication and respectfully state that it should not be interpreted as the collective position of all NAAE members across the aviation industry,” the communiqué stated.
The chapter explained that the Ticket Sales Charge is a statutory levy collected from airline passengers and shared among aviation agencies to enable them carry out their respective statutory responsibilities.
It emphasized that the NCAA, as Nigeria’s economic and safety regulator, relies substantially on its allocation from the TSC because, unlike service providers, it does not generate significant commercial revenue.
According to the association, the funds are critical for the certification and licensing of airlines, airports, maintenance organisations, aviation training institutions and air navigation service providers. They also support safety inspections, surveillance, regulatory enforcement, consumer protection, accident prevention programmes, implementation of international aviation standards, inspector training, cybersecurity, information technology infrastructure and other regulatory functions.
The communiqué further noted that the NCAA is responsible for meeting Nigeria’s financial obligations to international aviation bodies, including the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), and the Banjul Accord Group Aviation Safety Oversight Organisation (BAGASOO).
The chapter warned that any significant reduction in the NCAA’s share of the Ticket Sales Charge could adversely affect aviation safety oversight, delay certification and licensing processes, reduce inspector training, weaken regulatory surveillance, hamper procurement of specialised oversight equipment, and negatively impact Nigeria’s compliance with international aviation safety standards.
It also cautioned that inadequate funding could reduce international confidence in Nigeria’s aviation safety oversight system and potentially affect the country’s global aviation reputation.
While acknowledging the funding needs of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), the NCAA Chapter maintained that strengthening one aviation agency should not come at the expense of another whose statutory responsibility is to regulate and oversee the entire aviation sector.
“The issue before the aviation industry should not be viewed as a competition among agencies. Rather, stakeholders should collectively seek sustainable funding solutions capable of supporting all aviation institutions without compromising their statutory responsibilities,” the communiqué said.
The NCAA Chapter therefore called on the leadership of NAAE and other aviation stakeholders to embrace wider consultation, constructive dialogue and evidence-based engagement before taking public positions on issues affecting national aviation policy.
The chapter reaffirmed its commitment to promoting aviation safety, regulatory excellence and institutional cooperation in Nigeria.
Cover Photo Credit: Shutter Stock
