Two aviation unions: the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) on Tuesday, issued a seven-day picket notice to airlines over failure to remit outstanding 5 percent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) running into billions of Naira to Aviation Agencies.
The TSC is a statutory levy collected by airlines on behalf of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and other critical aviation agencies to fund safety oversight and maintain secure air transportation nationwide.
The unions in a letter to the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) dated 27 July, 2026 and jointly signed by Comrade Frances Akinjole , General Secretary, ATSSSAN and Comrade Odinaka Igbokwe,Deputy General Secretary, NUATE, said the 14-Day ultimatum earlier issued to the airline to demand outstanding TSC, elapsed on Thursday, 23rd July 2026 without compliance by the airlines, adding that 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. This unnecessary demotivation factor to the air transport worker is a security and safety risk.
“In view of the above, we can no longer helplessly fold our hands and allow the safety of our airspace to remain 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 letter reads.
The unions had last month, cited the Internal Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Doc 9734 (Safety Oversight Manual, Parts A and B), which explicitly mandates a sustainable and stable financing mechanism for civil aviation authorities. And because passengers pay this fee upfront at the time of ticket purchase, airlines act strictly as collection agents and are legally bound by the Civil Aviation Act to remit the funds promptly and in full.
