LAGOS, July 9 – Aviation workers’ unions have given airlines operating in Nigeria a 14-day deadline to remit all outstanding five per cent Ticket Sales Charges (TSC) collected on behalf of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and other aviation agencies, warning that failure to do so could lead to industrial action that may disrupt flight operations across the country.
The ultimatum was issued by the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), which said the continued non-remittance of the statutory charges has deprived aviation agencies of billions of naira needed to carry out safety oversight and other key responsibilities.
According to the unions, the five per cent TSC is a legal charge paid by air travellers as part of their ticket fares and collected by airlines on behalf of aviation agencies, adding that the funds are meant to support the safe operation of Nigeria’s aviation sector and must be remitted promptly.
The unions said the unpaid charges have built up over several months and years, putting pressure on the finances of aviation agencies and affecting their ability to perform their statutory duties.
Their warning comes after the Airlines Operators of Nigeria (AON) recently asked the NCAA to consider a different method of collecting the charge, saying airlines could no longer do so on the regulator’s behalf. Since then, the unions said operators have not been remitting the charges.
The unions described the continued withholding of the funds as unacceptable and directed all defaulting airlines to settle the outstanding remittances within 14 days warning that if the deadline is ignored, the unions would take every necessary step to protect the funding needed to maintain aviation safety, including actions that could bring activities across Nigeria’s aviation sector to a halt.
