NCAA engineers oppose any proposed ticket sales charge review, warn of safety implications

A proposed review of the revenue-sharing formula for Nigeria’s aviation agencies has sparked fresh controversy, with engineers at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) rejecting plans that would reduce the regulator’s share of the Ticket Sales Charge (TSC).

The engineers, under the umbrella of the NCAA Chapter of the National Association of Air Traffic Engineers (NAAE), said the proposal could undermine the authority’s capacity to carry out its statutory safety oversight responsibilities.

In a communiqué signed by the chapter’s chairman, Mr. Agunloye Frederick, the engineers distanced themselves from comments made by the national leadership of the union on the issue, stating that the NCAA chapter was neither consulted nor represented before public positions were taken.

At the centre of the dispute is a bill before the National Assembly seeking to amend the statutory distribution of the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge and Cargo Sales Charge (TSC/CSC) collected from airline ticket and cargo sales.

Under the proposal, the NCAA’s allocation would be reduced from 56 per cent to 40 per cent, while the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) would see its share increase from 22 per cent to 40 per cent to support the upgrade of air traffic management infrastructure.

The engineers argued that the Ticket Sales Charge remains the NCAA’s principal source of funding for key regulatory functions, including airline certification, aircraft inspections, safety surveillance, consumer protection and economic regulation.

According to the communiqué, reducing the regulator’s revenue could affect its ability to conduct routine safety inspections, renew certifications promptly, provide specialised training for inspectors and maintain compliance with standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

The chapter also warned that inadequate funding could slow the authority’s response to emerging safety concerns and delay the acquisition of critical equipment required for effective oversight.

While acknowledging the need for improved funding for the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, the engineers maintained that strengthening one aviation agency should not come at the expense of the industry’s regulator.

“A strong regulator is the foundation of a safe aviation industry. Weakening the regulator through inadequate funding weakens the entire aviation ecosystem,” the communiqué stated.

The engineers called on members of the National Assembly and other stakeholders to explore broader and more sustainable funding solutions for the aviation sector rather than redistributing existing statutory revenues.

The proposed amendment has generated debate within the aviation industry, with stakeholders divided over how best to balance the funding needs of regulatory agencies and air navigation service providers while maintaining safety standards and supporting infrastructure development. As of the time of filing this report, the National Assembly had yet to conclude deliberations on the proposed legislation.