The National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Branch, has cautioned that a proposed reduction in the financial allocation to the NCAA could undermine aviation safety oversight, weaken regulatory independence and reverse years of progress made in strengthening Nigeria’s aviation sector.
In a position paper jointly signed by the branch chairman, Diepreye Saburugha, and secretary, Celestine Chukwu, the association expressed concern over a bill before the National Assembly seeking to amend the sharing formula of the aviation sector’s five per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) and Cargo Sales Charge (CSC).
The proposal would reduce the NCAA’s statutory share of the revenue from 56 per cent to 40 per cent while increasing the allocation to the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) from 22 per cent to 40 per cent.
NAAPE argued that the proposal extends beyond a simple redistribution of revenue among aviation agencies, warning that it could significantly weaken the country’s primary aviation safety regulator at a time when effective oversight requires sustained investment.
According to the association, the NCAA is responsible for certifying airlines, inspecting aircraft, approving maintenance organisations, licensing aviation personnel, certifying aerodromes and enforcing compliance with national and international aviation safety standards.
“The issue is not merely about revenue allocation. It is fundamentally about preserving the financial autonomy of the institution responsible for protecting the lives of millions of air travellers,” the association stated.
NAAPE recalled that Nigeria’s current aviation safety framework emerged from sweeping reforms introduced after a series of fatal air accidents, including the Bellview Airlines Flight 210 crash in 2005, the ADC Airlines Flight 53 accident later that year and the Dana Air Flight 992 crash in 2012. Those tragedies, it noted, underscored the need for a financially independent regulator capable of carrying out continuous inspections, surveillance and enforcement without political or commercial interference.
The association explained that the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge was originally established to provide the NCAA with a stable source of funding for safety oversight, arguing that further reducing the regulator’s share would undermine the very philosophy on which the country’s aviation safety system was built.
Rather than altering the revenue-sharing formula, NAAPE urged the government to address what it described as the real source of the funding challenges across the aviation sector—the persistent failure of some airlines to remit statutory ticket and cargo sales charges.
According to the association, recovering outstanding remittances and strengthening enforcement against defaulting operators would improve the financial position of all aviation agencies without weakening the NCAA’s oversight responsibilities.
The union also expressed concern that the authority is already operating under significant financial constraints, which it said have affected surveillance activities, delayed the payment of inspectors’ allowances and contributed to the loss of experienced technical personnel to foreign civil aviation authorities and private operators offering better remuneration.
It further noted that although a review of the NCAA’s conditions of service received approval earlier this year, implementation has reportedly stalled because of inadequate funding.
NAAPE warned that reducing the regulator’s revenue could further constrain inspection programmes, weaken compliance monitoring and potentially affect Nigeria’s standing in international aviation safety assessments.
The association called on lawmakers to reject the proposed amendment, insisting that preserving the NCAA’s financial independence remains critical to maintaining high safety standards and sustaining confidence in Nigeria’s aviation industry.
