Domestic airline operators in Nigeria have dismissed the 14-day ultimatum issued by the aviation unions over unremitted Ticket Sales Charges, insisting that ATSSSAN and NUATE have no legal standing to threaten disruption of flight operations over a matter that is properly a regulatory dispute between airlines and their agencies.
A source within the Airline Operators of Nigeria, speaking to Daily Sun on condition of anonymity, revealed that prior to the union ultimatum, the AON had already held a meeting with the NCAA management at which both parties agreed that airlines would pay 10 per cent of outstanding TSC remittances immediately, with the balance to be settled in instalments over an agreed period.
Airlines' Position: No Legal Basis for Union Action
The airline source directly challenged the unions' authority: "ATSSSAN and NUATE have no legal standing to threaten any form of disruption of operations over the matter — the unions are not official spokespersons for the NCAA or for any aviation agency." The source framed the TSC dispute as a regulatory billing matter between airlines and the NCAA, not an industrial relations matter between airlines and their own employees.
The source also pushed back on the broader narrative: "Already, airlines are paying tons of charges, levies and taxes on a regular basis to the NCAA and other agencies — and that is besides what we pay for fuel. Nigerian airlines are suffocating and practically gasping for breath, yet instead of showing empathy, they are being threatened with the disruption of their operations."
The Prior NCAA-AON Agreement
The instalment arrangement — 10 per cent immediately, balance over time — represents a pragmatic compromise acknowledging airlines' financial constraints while maintaining the NCAA's position that the debts exist and must be settled. The NCAA's suspended No Pay No Service directive was itself an enforcement response to the same non-remittance issue, suggesting the current arrangement emerged from negotiations under that enforcement pressure.
A union source confirmed awareness of the NCAA-AON agreement and that some airlines had already begun paying. Airlines that comply with the instalment arrangement, the source said, would not be targeted by any actions when the July 22 ultimatum expires. This creates a differentiated enforcement scenario — compliant airlines are insulated, while those making no payment remain at risk if the unions follow through on their warning. The outcome will have significant implications for the broader TSC debate, including the contested National Assembly bill to restructure the five per cent sharing formula.
