NCAA Seeks Restoration of 65% Share of Ticket Sales Charge, Warns Against Weakening Safety Oversight
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has called for the restoration of its original 65 per cent share of the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) and Cargo Sales Charge (CSC), warning that any reduction in its funding could undermine the country’s aviation safety oversight system.
The Director-General of Civil Aviation, Capt. Chris Ona Najomo, made the appeal on Thursday during the public hearing organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation on the proposed review of the allocation formula for the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge and Cargo Sales Charge in Abuja.
Najomo argued that while all aviation agencies deserve adequate funding to perform their statutory functions, any additional financial support required by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) should come from optimising its numerous commercial revenue sources, improving operational efficiency and corporate governance, or through targeted government intervention for strategic infrastructure.
He urged the lawmakers to restore the NCAA’s original 65 per cent allocation from the TSC, saying the move would address deficiencies identified by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) during its last safety audit and align Nigeria with global best funding practices.
According to him, the NCAA remains heavily dependent on the Ticket Sales Charge for the discharge of its statutory responsibilities, while NAMA derives a larger proportion of its income from commercial charges imposed on aircraft operators for services rendered.
The NCAA boss noted that, apart from government funding, NAMA also benefits from Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) funds, a source of revenue that is not available to the NCAA.
He disclosed that NAMA has no fewer than 16 statutory commercial revenue streams, including overflight and en-route charges, terminal navigation charges, calibration fees, telecommunications services, consultancy services, air traffic services at private aerodromes, property rentals and other operational charges.
According to him, these commercial activities account for about 75 per cent of NAMA’s total revenue, while the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge contributes only about 25 per cent. In contrast, he said the NCAA relies on the TSC for approximately 80 per cent of its funding.
Najomo stressed that any review of Nigeria’s aviation funding framework should be consistent with ICAO policies, international best practices and Nigeria’s obligations under the Chicago Convention.
He said aviation safety depends on competent inspectors, continuous surveillance, certification, recurrent technical training, international cooperation and an independent regulator with sufficient financial capacity.
“The proposal before this committee should not merely be viewed as a redistribution of statutory revenue but in terms of its impact on Nigeria’s ability to sustain an effective State Safety Oversight System in line with ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices,” he said.
The DGCA explained that the Ticket Sales Charge and Cargo Sales Charge were established in line with ICAO’s long-standing policy that the cost of aviation safety regulation should be borne by the aviation community.
He added that the NCAA also finances Nigeria’s mandatory contributions to international and regional aviation bodies, including the International Civil Aviation Organization, the Banjul Accord Group Aviation Safety & Security Oversight Organisation and the African Civil Aviation Commission.
Najomo explained that ICAO’s Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme assesses whether countries have adequate financial mechanisms to support their aviation safety oversight authorities.
While noting that Nigeria recently achieved an Effective Implementation score of 91.3 per cent in the ICAO audit, he revealed that the country’s lowest score—50 per cent—was recorded in the area of financial resources supporting the State Safety Oversight System.
He warned that reducing the NCAA’s principal source of funding at a time when ICAO has identified inadequate financial resources as a critical gap would amount to legislating against the very deficiency Nigeria is expected to correct.
The NCAA therefore urged the House Committee on Aviation to support the restoration of its 65 per cent share of the Ticket Sales Charge to ensure sustainable funding for aviation safety regulation and Nigeria’s continued compliance with international aviation standards.
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