The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has denied owing cost recovery charges to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), insisting that all services rendered by the regulator to domestic airline operators are paid for fully in advance on a cash-before-service b asis.
In a statement from the airlines’ body, it was emphasised that no domestic airline in Nigeria receives NCAA regulatory services without first making full payment of invoices issued to it by the agency, describing suggestions of the indebtedness for regulatory services as factually inaccurate.
It said that what the NCAA refers to as ‘outstanding charges’ relates solely to the 5 per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC), a tax imposed by the NCAA on passengers, which it said is not in consonance with the dictates of international aviation.
The AON then urged the federal government to urgently amend the Civil Aviation Act to empower the NCAA to collect whatever appropriate fees and charges are due it directly from passengers or whoever else, without routing such through the domestic airlines, from June 1, 2026.
It said doing this will relieve domestic airlines of the financial burden of acting as collection agents for the NCAA, since airlines currently bear banking transfer charges and other transaction costs in the process of transmitting funds to the organisation.
The airline body reiterated its position that the NCAA is a regulator, not a revenue-generating agency and that it does not fund any aspect of the airline businesses or render any direct service to passengers.
The AON said every service the agency provides to airline operators is fully paid for in advance before it is rendered.
“The AON notes that several member airlines maintain dedicated accounts, from which the NCAA draws down its monthly remittances, until the force majure caused by the Iran-Israel/USA conflict, which had put a lot of financial pressure on airlines worldwide.
“Notwithstanding this arrangement, the AON had formally appealed to the federal government through the office of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, to suspend the payment of all statutory charges temporarily, as an interim measure to assist airlines in managing their cash flows during the current period of severe financial stress caused by the increase in the cost of Jet A1.
“As an interim response, President Bola Tinubu graciously granted a 30 per cent concession while waiting for the government’s decision on the other aspects of the AON intervention request.
“While the AON acknowledges and appreciates this gesture, we had appealed for a meeting with Mr President to discuss further reliefs, a request that is yet to be granted,” the AON said.
Speaking further on reports that airlines owe billions in debt to the NCAA, the AON said the 5 per cent Ticket Service Charge in question was introduced over 45 years ago under the Government of General Gowon by the then Federal Civil Aviation Authority (FCAA) and its continued relevance has not been reviewed ever since.
It further stated that domestic airlines, in addition to the 5 per cent TSC, still pay separately ànd directly for services provided by the various industry agencies, including the NCAA itself.
AON said that the 5 per cent TSC is an ad valorem tax applied to an airline’s gross earnings, not profits and that the global aviation industry operates at a profit margin of between 1.5 per cent and 2.5 per cent at best.
“The AON remains committed to constructive engagement with the government and all stakeholders to achieve a growth-oriented sector, designed to enable the accelerated growth of key sectors of the economy and the improvement and sustenance of a healthy quality of life for the citizenry,” it said.
