By Abubakar Yunusa
The Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) have issued a fresh seven-day ultimatum to airline operators to remit the outstanding 5 percent ticket sale charges (TSC) owed to aviation agencies.
A letter conveying the ultimatum was jointly signed by Frances Akinjole, general secretary of ATSSSAN, and Odinaka Igbokwe, deputy general secretary of NUATE, and was addressed to the chairman of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 2 (MMA2), Ikeja, Lagos.
The unions said their earlier 14-day ultimatum, issued in July, expired on July 23 without compliance from the defaulting airlines.
According to the unions, the continued non-remittance of the charges has deprived aviation agencies of critical funding needed to maintain the safety of Nigeria’s airspace while also affecting the welfare of workers.
“The Aviation Agencies remain starved of the required funds to keep our sky safe. At the same time, the “Conditions of Service” of our members in the various agencies continue to be jeopardised because of the non-remittance of the TSC,” the notice reads.
“This unnecessary demotivation factor to the air transport worker is a security and safety risk.”
The unions said they could no longer “helplessly fold our hands” while the safety of the country’s airspace remained compromised.
“We hereby issue a 7-Day Notice to every TSC defaulter to remit the total debt owed to the agencies; failure to do so will result in our Unions’ concrete actions at their various premises,” the unions said.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had placed 11 domestic airline operators on a “no-pay-no-service” sanction list over outstanding financial obligations.
NCAA instructed all its directorates to withhold services from the affected airlines pending financial clearance.
However, the regulator temporarily suspended the enforcement of its “no-pay-no-service” directive against the airlines.
Chris Najomo, director-general (DG) of the NCAA, said the decision followed a review of current operating realities in the sector, particularly the rising cost of aviation fuel and its impact on airline operations and overall industry stability.
Najomo clarified that the suspension does not represent a cancellation, waiver, or forgiveness of the affected airlines’ outstanding obligations.
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