A fresh disagreement has emerged within the National Association of Air Traffic Engineers (NAAE) after the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) chapter distanced itself from comments made by the association’s national leadership on the proposed review of the Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) sharing formula.
In a communiqué released on Thursday and signed by its chairman, Agunloye Fredrick, the NCAA chapter said it was never consulted before the national leadership took a public position on the issue, stressing that the statement did not reflect the views of its members.
“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,” the communiqué stated.
“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,” it added.
The chapter argued that a matter affecting the entire aviation industry should have involved extensive consultations among members across all aviation agencies before any official position was announced.
“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.
The engineers therefore rejected the statement issued by the association’s national leadership.
“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.
Explaining its position, the NCAA chapter noted that the Ticket Sales Charge serves as a major source of funding for aviation agencies, particularly the NCAA, whose responsibilities include safety oversight, certification, licensing, consumer protection, economic regulation and ensuring Nigeria complies with international aviation standards.
According to the chapter, cutting the regulator’s share of the revenue could weaken safety monitoring, delay regulatory approvals, reduce staff training and affect the country’s ability to maintain internationally accepted aviation standards.
It also warned that such a move could impact Nigeria’s standing with global aviation bodies and reduce confidence in the country’s aviation oversight system.
The communiqué emphasised 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 financial needs of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, the chapter insisted that solving one agency’s funding challenges should not undermine another’s statutory responsibilities.
“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.
The NCAA chapter called for wider engagement among industry stakeholders before major policy decisions are taken, urging all parties to pursue sustainable funding arrangements that would benefit every aviation agency.
“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.
The statement comes as discussions continue over proposed amendments to the sharing formula for the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge and Cargo Sales Charge, a move that could alter how aviation agencies are funded.
