A Ticket Sales Charge dispute is threatening to disrupt flight operations across Nigeria after aviation unions gave airline operators a final seven-day window to settle unpaid statutory levies.
The warning came from the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria and the National Union of Air Transport Employees. Punch reported that the two unions jointly signed the notice, escalating a dispute that has simmered for weeks.
The unions first raised the alarm on 8 July, when they gave airlines fourteen days to remit outstanding sums. That notice lapsed on 23 July without compliance, according to Punch.
With airlines still failing to pay, the unions issued a tighter seven-day deadline. They warned that continued inaction in the Ticket Sales Charge dispute would leave them no choice but to picket operations nationwide.
The five per cent Ticket Sales Charge is a statutory levy collected on every airline ticket sold in Nigeria. Channels Television explained that the funds are meant to support the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and other agencies responsible for safety oversight.
Airlines are supposed to deduct the charge from ticket sales and remit it to the regulator. The Airline Operators of Nigeria had been collecting the levy on behalf of the authorities before vowing to stop, a shift that deepened the Ticket Sales Charge dispute now unfolding.
In their statement, the unions described the failure to remit funds as wilful non-compliance. They said the shortfall was starving critical aviation agencies of money needed to sustain safe and efficient operations.
The notice was signed by ATSSSAN General Secretary Frances Akinjole and NUATE Deputy General Secretary Odinaka Igbokwe. Daily Trust reported that the pair have consistently fronted union communications throughout this Ticket Sales Charge dispute.
Domestic operators have not accepted the unions’ position quietly. The Sun reported that a source within the Airline Operators of Nigeria insisted the unions have no legal standing to threaten disruption, arguing that ATSSSAN and NUATE are not official spokespersons for the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority or any other agency.
The same source told The Sun that airlines had already reached an arrangement with the regulator before the unions issued their ultimatum. Under that agreement, operators would pay ten per cent of the outstanding balance upfront and clear the rest in instalments, a detail that complicates the union’s framing of this Ticket Sales Charge dispute as straightforward non-payment.
This is not the only front in Nigeria’s aviation funding troubles. Daily Trust reported that the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency is separately pushing for a bigger share of the same levy, arguing it is chronically underfunded for air navigation services.
That proposal has divided the industry further, with some labour unions accusing the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority of resisting any change to the sharing formula. The overlap between the two disagreements shows how central the Ticket Sales Charge dispute has become to the sector’s finances.
The tension is not new. Punch reported that the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority had earlier issued a “No Pay, No Service” directive against eleven carriers, including Air Peace, Ibom Air, Arik Air and United Nigeria Airlines, over unpaid charges.
The regulator suspended that order within a day but made clear the suspension did not amount to debt forgiveness. Airline operators rejected the claim that their members owed the authority, insisting they pay for every service before it is rendered.
Some operators argue the real fix lies elsewhere. Economy Post reported that the Airline Operators of Nigeria has called on government to amend the Civil Aviation Act so the regulator can collect its fees directly from passengers, rather than relying on airlines as a collection channel.
The association has described the current arrangement as outdated and financially burdensome, especially given rising jet fuel costs. Until that changes, however, the Ticket Sales Charge dispute between unions and operators looks set to continue.
With the seven-day deadline now running, both sides remain far apart. Unions insist the money is owed and overdue, while airlines maintain a separate repayment plan is already in place with the regulator.
Whether picketing goes ahead will depend on what happens in the coming days. For now, passengers and industry staff alike are watching closely as this Ticket Sales Charge dispute edges toward a possible showdown.
