…urges National Assembly to reject bill, recover airlines’ unpaid ticket charges instead
The National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), NCAA Branch, has warned that plans to slash the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority’s (NCAA) statutory share of the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) could weaken aviation safety oversight and put millions of air travellers at risk.
The association described the proposed amendment before the National Assembly as a dangerous policy shift that threatens decades of aviation safety reforms painstakingly built after some of Nigeria’s worst air disasters.
In a strongly worded position paper titled “Crippling NCAA’s Funding Is Gambling With the Safety of Nigerian Lives”, signed by its Chairman, Comrade Diepreye Saburugha, and Secretary, Engr. Celestine Nkemakolam Chukwu, NAAPE argued that the proposal goes far beyond revenue sharing and strikes at the heart of Nigeria’s aviation safety architecture.
Aviation Safety, Not Just Revenue
According to the association, the bill seeks to reduce the NCAA’s allocation from the TSC from 56 per cent to 40 per cent while increasing the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency’s (NAMA) share from 22 per cent to 40 per cent.
NAAPE maintained that the proposal is not merely an adjustment to a revenue-sharing formula but a policy decision capable of weakening the financial independence of Nigeria’s principal aviation safety regulator.
The association recalled that Nigeria’s current safety regime was built on painful lessons from major air disasters, including the Bellview Airlines Flight 210 crash in 2005, the ADC Airlines Flight 53 accident the same year and the Dana Air Flight 992 crash in Lagos. Those tragedies, it said, compelled government and industry stakeholders to strengthen regulatory oversight and invest heavily in safety systems.
Why the Funding Formula Matters
NAAPE explained that the NCAA was deliberately established as an independent safety regulator responsible for protecting the travelling public through certification, inspections, surveillance, enforcement and oversight of airlines, maintenance organisations, aerodromes, training institutions and other aviation operators.
Unlike NAMA, which was created as a commercial air navigation service provider expected to generate revenue from statutory service charges, the NCAA relies substantially on the TSC to finance its regulatory responsibilities.
According to the association, weakening that funding base would inevitably affect the Authority’s capacity to carry out critical oversight functions.
History of the Ticket Sales Charge
Tracing the origin of the funding structure, NAAPE said the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority Establishment Act of 1999 originally allocated 70 per cent of the TSC to the NCAA and 30 per cent to NAMA, reflecting their different statutory mandates.
The Civil Aviation Act of 2006 later adjusted the sharing formula to accommodate other aviation agencies, reducing the NCAA’s share to 58 per cent and NAMA’s to 23 per cent, while allocating portions to the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), the Accident Investigation Bureau, now the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet).
Further amendments under the Civil
Aviation Act 2022 reduced the NCAA’s allocation to 56 per cent and NAMA’s to 22 per cent.
NAAPE argued that reducing the regulator’s share further to 40 per cent would undermine the original philosophy behind the funding arrangement and erode the financial autonomy required for effective safety oversight.
NCAA Under Growing Financial Pressure
The association said the NCAA is already facing significant financial challenges that have affected critical safety oversight activities.
It alleged that inspectors are owed months of Duty Tour Allowances, while several staff benefits have either been reduced or suspended because of inadequate funding.
According to NAAPE, more than 60 inspectors and other highly specialised technical personnel have left the Authority over the past five years due to poor remuneration and more attractive opportunities in airlines, foreign aviation authorities and other aviation organisations.
The association warned that the continuing loss of experienced professionals represents a serious drain on institutional knowledge and technical capacity.
It further claimed that inspectors sometimes fund official regulatory inspections from their personal resources, waiting months or even years before receiving reimbursement.
“No effective safety oversight system can be sustained when regulatory inspections depend on the personal financial sacrifices of inspectors rather than institutional funding”, the association stated.
Safety Oversight Requires Continuous Investment
NAAPE stressed that aviation safety oversight is one of the most resource-intensive responsibilities of any government because it requires highly qualified inspectors, recurrent training, sophisticated surveillance systems and continuous monitoring of operators.
It cited the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Safety Oversight Manual, which emphasises that civil aviation authorities must possess adequate financial and human resources to effectively discharge their statutory responsibilities.
According to the association, sustained investment is essential to enable inspectors keep pace with rapidly evolving aircraft technology, digital avionics, advanced maintenance practices, Safety Management Systems and other emerging developments in global aviation.
International Reputation Could Be at Risk
NAAPE also warned that weakening the NCAA’s financial capacity could have international consequences.
It noted that Nigeria recently recorded an impressive 91.4 per cent Effective Implementation score during ICAO’s Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP), describing the achievement as evidence of a credible and effective aviation safety oversight system.
According to the association, Nigeria’s strong regulatory reputation has helped build confidence among foreign airlines, aircraft manufacturers, insurers, financiers and international investors.
It warned that further weakening the NCAA could adversely affect future ICAO and United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) assessments, with possible implications for Nigeria’s international aviation standing and the overseas expansion plans of Nigerian airlines.
Recover Airline Debts Instead
Rather than reducing the NCAA’s allocation, NAAPE urged government to aggressively recover outstanding TSC allegedly owed by airlines, saying poor remittance has reduced the revenue available to all beneficiary aviation agencies.
The association argued that improving collection and enforcement would provide sustainable funding without undermining the nation’s safety regulator.
It also proposed increasing the NCAA’s statutory allocation to about 65 per cent to reflect rising regulatory responsibilities, inflation, technological advancement and the increasing cost of aviation safety oversight.
Call to Lawmakers
NAAPE called on the National Assembly to reject the proposed amendment, insisting that Nigeria should strengthen rather than weaken the institution responsible for protecting the safety of its airspace.
“The solution to the financial challenges facing Nigeria’s aviation industry is not to cripple the regulator. It is to strengthen the regulator, recover outstanding statutory revenues, modernise the financing of aviation service providers and preserve the financial autonomy that ICAO regards as indispensable for effective safety oversight”, the association stated.
It warned that weakening the country’s aviation regulator would ultimately weaken the safety of Nigeria’s skies and urged policymakers to preserve the gains recorded through years of aviation reforms.