Following recent comments by the association’s national leadership on the proposed review of the Ticket Sales Charge sharing formula, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority chapter of the National Association of Air Traffic Engineers on Thursday, 6 August distanced itself from it, insisting that it was neither consulted nor represented in the position, reports thegazellenews.com
The NCCA chapter, through a communiqué signed by its Chairman, Agunloye Fredrick, on Thursday said the publication attributed to the National President of NAAE did not reflect the views of its members.
The communiqué comes amid an ongoing debate within Nigeria’s aviation industry over a proposed amendment to the sharing formula for the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge and Cargo Sales Charge.
Under the current arrangement, the NCAA receives 56 per cent of the pool, while the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency gets 22 per cent, with the balance shared among the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology and the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau.
A bill before the National Assembly seeks to reduce the NCAA’s share and increase NAMA’s allocation.
“The attention of the NCAA Chapter of the National Association of Air Traffic Engineers (NAAE) has been drawn to recent media publications credited to the National President of NAAE regarding the proposed review of the Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) sharing formula. While we acknowledge the right of every professional body to advocate for the welfare and operational sustainability of its members and institutions, we wish to state clearly that the position presented in the publication does not represent the views of the NCAA Chapter of NAAE,” Agunloye said in the communiqué, just as he also faulted the process leading to the position, saying members across aviation agencies ought to have been consulted before any public statement was issued.
“As a national association with members spread across various aviation agencies, it is expected that matters of such national importance receive broad consultation before any public position is adopted.
“Unfortunately, the NCAA Chapter was neither consulted nor carried along before the publication was made. At no time was our opinion sought on the proposed review of the Ticket Sales Charge sharing formula,” the communiqué stated.
“We therefore dissociate ourselves from the publication and respectfully state that it should not be interpreted as the collective position of all NAAE members across the aviation industry,” it added.
According to the engineers, the Ticket Sales Charge is a statutory levy collected from airline passengers and shared among aviation agencies because each plays a unique role in ensuring aviation safety, security and efficiency.
They explained that the NCAA, as the industry’s economic and safety regulator, depends substantially on its allocation from the TSC because it does not operate airports, provide air navigation services or generate significant commercial revenue.
According to the communiqué, the funds are used to support certification and licensing of airlines, airports, air navigation service providers, maintenance organisations and aviation training organisations, as well as safety surveillance, economic regulation, consumer protection, accident prevention, implementation of International Civil Aviation Organisation standards, inspector training, acquisition of specialised oversight equipment, information technology infrastructure, cybersecurity and other regulatory activities.
The chapter added that the revenue also enables the authority to meet Nigeria’s financial obligations to international aviation organisations, including the ICAO, the African Civil Aviation Commission and the Banjul Accord Group Aviation Safety Oversight Organisation.
The communiqué warned that reducing the NCAA’s share of the TSC would undermine aviation safety oversight and regulatory effectiveness.
It listed possible consequences to include reduced frequency of safety inspections and surveillance activities, delays in certification, licensing and regulatory approvals, reduced capacity for continuous training and requalification of aviation safety inspectors, inability to procure and maintain specialised oversight equipment, and weakening of safety oversight required under ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices.
Other potential implications, according to the chapter, include reduced capacity to monitor airlines, airports, air navigation service providers and maintenance organisations, delays in responding to emerging safety concerns, increased risk of deficiencies during ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme assessments, reduced international confidence in Nigeria’s aviation safety oversight system, and possible negative impact on Nigeria’s ICAO compliance status and international reputation.
The communiqué further stated that “a strong regulator remains the foundation of every safe aviation system.”
“Effective regulation provides oversight over every operator, every airport, every air navigation service provider and every aviation organisation. Weakening the regulator through reduced funding ultimately weakens the entire aviation industry,” it stated.
While acknowledging the funding needs of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, the chapter maintained that strengthening one aviation agency should not come at the expense of another.
“We fully recognise the importance of adequate funding for the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency and acknowledge the enormous investment required to maintain Communications, Navigation, Surveillance and Air Traffic Management infrastructure,” the communiqué stated.
“However, strengthening one agency should never come at the expense of another agency whose statutory responsibility is to regulate, inspect and enforce compliance across the entire aviation sector,” it added, just as the NCAA chapter urged stakeholders to pursue broader consultations and sustainable funding mechanisms for all aviation agencies.
“The issue before the aviation industry should not be viewed as a competition among agencies. Rather, stakeholders should collectively seek sustainable funding solutions capable of supporting all aviation institutions without compromising their statutory responsibilities,” the communiqué stated.
“The NCAA Chapter of NAAE therefore calls on all stakeholders, including the leadership of our association, to embrace wider consultation, constructive dialogue and evidence-based engagement before adopting public positions on matters of national aviation policy,” it added.
