… says it erodes safety, efficiency of sector
… says it’ll not take responsibility in cases of incident, accident
The Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) has called on the federal government to urgently withdraw the ongoing 50 per cent deduction from the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of aviation agencies.
NATCA representing the collective interests of all Air Traffic Control professionals in Nigeria lamented that this policy is severely undermining the safety and efficiency of Nigeria aviation sector.
Stressing that the policy would erode safety and efficiency in the industry, it vowed not to take responsibility should there be any incident or accident occasioned by this.
“We want to place it on record that the safety-critical activities of the entire aviation sector are slowly grinding to a halt, reaching levels that are unacceptable.
“The agencies within the sector are financially constrained, rendering the sector dysfunctional. This alarming situation, if left unaddressed, poses significant risks to the safety and operational effectiveness of Nigerian airspace.
“It should also be on record that NATCA will not assume responsibility should a strain on the sector’s safety and operational needs result in any critical incident or accident.
“The continued financial constraints imposed by these deductions are compromising our ability to deliver safe, efficient air traffic control services,” NATCA said in a press statement signed by its National President, Abayomi Agoro.
It therefore put all Air Traffic Controllers on notice of a nationwide protest effective from “0000 hours on the 18th of September 2024.”
“All controllers are to comply with the instructions from our mother union until further notice,” the statement warned.