Key points
- NAAPE says plans to reduce NCAA’s share of the Ticket Sales Charge could weaken aviation safety oversight.
- A bill before the National Assembly proposes cutting NCAA’s allocation from 56% to 40% while increasing NAMA’s share from 22% to 40%.
- The association argues that stable funding is essential for inspections, certification and regulatory independence.
- NAAPE urges government to improve collection of unpaid charges instead of altering the revenue-sharing formula.
Main story
The National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Chapter, has warned that reducing the NCAA’s share of the aviation sector’s Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) could undermine aviation safety oversight and weaken the regulator’s operational independence.
The association raised the concern on Tuesday in Lagos while reacting to a bill before the National Assembly proposing changes to the existing revenue-sharing formula for the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge.
In a position paper signed by its Chairman, Mr Diepreye Saburugha, and Secretary, Mr Celestine Chukwu, NAAPE said the proposed legislation seeks to reduce the NCAA’s allocation 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.
According to the association, the proposal goes beyond a routine redistribution of revenue among aviation agencies and could have significant implications for aviation safety, regulatory independence and Nigeria’s standing within the global aviation industry.
NAAPE noted that the NCAA serves as the country’s primary aviation safety regulator, with responsibility for certifying airlines and aircraft, approving maintenance organisations, overseeing flight operations, licensing aviation personnel, certifying aerodromes and enforcing compliance with safety regulations.
The association argued that maintaining the regulator’s financial autonomy is critical to safeguarding the lives of air travellers and sustaining effective safety oversight.
It recalled that Nigeria strengthened its aviation regulatory framework following a series of fatal air accidents, with reforms recognising the need for sustained investment in inspector training, surveillance activities, certification processes and enforcement of safety standards.
According to NAAPE, the Ticket Sales Charge was specifically established to provide the NCAA with a stable and independent source of funding, and reducing its allocation would undermine the principle on which the country’s aviation safety oversight system was built.
The association also identified the failure of some airlines to remit Ticket Sales Charges as a major factor behind funding challenges across the aviation sector.
Rather than revising the revenue-sharing formula, NAAPE urged the Federal Government to recover outstanding debts from defaulting operators and strengthen enforcement mechanisms to ensure timely remittance of statutory charges.
It argued that improved compliance would strengthen the finances of all beneficiary agencies without reducing the resources available to the country’s chief safety regulator.
NAAPE further alleged that the NCAA is already operating under financial constraints, affecting inspection and surveillance activities, delaying payment of inspectors’ allowances and contributing to the loss of experienced technical personnel to better-paying organisations.
The association also claimed that funding limitations had prevented the implementation of an approved review of the authority’s conditions of service.
It called on members of the National Assembly to reject the proposed amendment.
The issues
The Ticket Sales Charge is a key source of funding for aviation agencies in Nigeria. While supporters of the proposed amendment seek to redistribute revenues among agencies, critics argue that reducing the NCAA’s allocation could weaken regulatory oversight by limiting the resources available for inspections, certification, surveillance and enforcement. NAAPE maintains that improving the collection of existing charges, rather than altering the sharing formula, would better address funding challenges across the sector.
What’s being said
“The issue is not merely about revenue allocation. It is fundamentally about preserving the financial autonomy of the institution responsible for protecting the lives of millions of air travellers.” — National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE)
“Rather than altering the sharing formula, government should recover outstanding debts from defaulting operators and strengthen enforcement mechanisms.” — NAAPE
What’s next
The proposed amendment will be considered by the National Assembly, while aviation stakeholders are expected to continue engaging lawmakers on the potential implications for regulatory funding and aviation safety oversight.
Bottom line
NAAPE argues that maintaining adequate funding for the NCAA is essential to preserving aviation safety standards and believes stronger enforcement of existing revenue collections offers a better solution than redistributing Ticket Sales Charge revenues.
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