Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) have given the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) 14 day- ultimatum to remit all outstanding 5% Tickets Sales Charge (TSC) to Aviation agencies or face industrial unrest.
In a statement signed by Frances Akinjole General Secretary, ATSSSAN, Comrade Odinaka Igbokwe, Deputy General Secretary, NUATE, the unions expressed dismay over failure of many airlines to remit the statutory 5% TSC collected on behalf of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and other aviation agencies, adding that the money is deducted for the purpose of maintaining safe air transportation in the country.
“The unions are aware that the accumulation of these outstanding remittances over the past months/years has run into several billions of naira and has adversely affected the revenue profile of the Agencies. This is thereby creating avoidable financial constraints that negatively impact the effective discharge of their various statutory responsibilities and the smooth operation of the aviation sector in general. This is safety compromised!
“We wish to remind all that the 5% Ticket Sales Charge (TS) is a statutory obligation established by law, with the necessary backing of International Civil Aviation Organisation CAO instruments, and not a discretionary payment. International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Doc 9734 – Safety Oversight Manual, Parts A and B, provide a clear need for a sustainable and stable source of financing for the agencies”, the statement reads.
According to them, ‘the continued non-remittance of these statutory funds is grossly unacceptable as it undermines the financial stability of the Agencies whose statutory functions depend on these remittances. “It must be appreciated that TSC is not a profit, but resources meant to facilitate safe air. Hence, the Agencies are mere cost recovery organisations’.
“In view of the foregoing, the unions call on the management of airlines to remit all outstanding TSC in full compliance with their obligations without further delay . We trust that the affected airlines will treat the matter with the promptness it deserves and take the necessary steps to avert avoidable industrial comatose.”, it further stated.
