As the National Assembly sets to commence hearing on the Ticket Sales Charge, (TSC) the National Association of Air Traffic Engineers (NAAE) has called on them to undertake a comprehensive, objective and equitable review of the 5% TSC sharing formula.
NAAE said, NASS in carrying carrying out the important legislative responsibility, they should be guided by the statutory mandates, operational realities, funding requirements and evolving responsibilities of each aviation agency, with the overriding objective of strengthening Nigeria’s aviation safety architecture.
In press statement signed by Engr Selzing Miri and Engr Mohammed Shuaibu, president and secretary respectively, declared that Nigeria cannot effectively fulfil the obligations if its Air Navigation Service Provider if it continues to operate under financial constraints that are inconsistent with its statutory responsibilities.
According to NAAE, the current allocation formula, under which the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) receives only 23% of the TSC while the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) receives 57%, no longer reflects the operational realities, technological demands, and financial responsibilities of modern air navigation service provision.
They explained that the current sharing formula was established decades ago when aviation technology was considerably less complex adding that since then, Nigeria has embraced Performance-Based Navigation (PBN), satellite surveillance technologies, digital communication systems, cybersecurity requirements and other ICAO-mandated modernisation initiatives while the statutory revenue allocation to NAMA has remained substantially unchanged despite the exponential increase in operational responsibilities and maintenance costs.
They argued that it was not a struggle between aviation agencies but a national conversation about ensuring that the institution responsible for the safe, orderly and efficient movement of aircraft within Nigerian airspace is adequately funded to discharge its statutory obligations.
According to NAAE, while the regulatory oversight role of NCAA remains indispensable and deserving of adequate funding, regulation alone cannot guarantee aviation safety, safe flight operations are achieved only when robust regulation is complemented by reliable and uninterrupted air navigation services.
“Air navigation services constitute the backbone of aviation safety. Every aircraft that departs, transits or lands within Nigerian airspace depends continuously on NAMA’s Communications, Navigation, Surveillance and Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) infrastructure. These systems are sophisticated, safety-critical and capital-intensive. Their procurement, installation, calibration, maintenance, modernization and periodic replacement require enormous and sustained financial investment
“Unlike several other aviation services, CNS/ATM facilities operate twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, throughout the year without interruption. Radar systems, Instrument Landing Systems (ILS), DVOR/DME facilities, ADS-B, Multilateration (MLAT), satellite-based navigation infrastructure, communication networks, Aeronautical Information Management (AIM), flight calibration programmes, power systems, cybersecurity architecture and numerous other safety-critical facilities demand continuous maintenance by highly skilled engineering personnel”
NAAE noted that these facilities cannot be allowed to deteriorate due to inadequate funding without exposing the nation to significant operational and safety risks.
”Every successful take-off, every safe en-route flight, every instrument approach and every safe landing depends upon the seamless operation of engineering systems designed, installed, maintained and monitored by dedicated Air Traffic Safety
