Nigerian airlines and aviation unions have signed an agreement ending the industrial action that grounded dozens of flights earlier this month, with the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) confirming on 29 August 2026 that a structured repayment plan for outstanding Ticket Sales Charges (TSC) has been accepted by both sides and full flight operations have resumed nationwide.
The agreement follows weeks of escalating tension that began with a 14-day ultimatum from the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), and culminated in picketing that cancelled dozens of flights and cost the industry an estimated ₦2 billion in a single day of disruption.
Terms of the Settlement
Under the terms brokered by the NCAA, affected airlines will remit 10 per cent of outstanding TSC balances immediately, with the remaining balance cleared in structured instalments over six months. The Authority said the schedule was designed to balance the unions' demand for full and timely remittance against the airlines' stated cash-flow constraints, which carriers have attributed to high Jet A1 fuel costs and currency pressures.
"This agreement restores stability to an industry that cannot afford prolonged disruption," an NCAA spokesperson said in a statement announcing the deal. "All parties have committed to the repayment timeline, and we will be monitoring compliance closely to ensure it holds."
Union Response
ATSSSAN and NUATE, which had previously dismissed a prior NCAA-brokered proposal as insufficient, confirmed they had accepted the revised terms and formally suspended the strike action with immediate effect. Union representatives said the six-month repayment window, combined with penalty clauses for missed instalments, gave the agreement more enforceability than earlier proposals.
Airlines affected by the dispute, including United Nigeria Airlines and other domestic carriers, have confirmed resumption of full schedules, though some carriers have warned passengers to expect residual disruption over the coming days as aircraft and crew rotations return to normal.
Wider Industry Implications
The resolution comes against the backdrop of a broader debt crisis flagged by the Aviation Round Table (ANAP) earlier this month, which warned that unremitted charges across the industry were undermining the financial position of regulatory and safety agencies. Whether the new repayment framework becomes a template for resolving similar disputes elsewhere in the sector remains to be seen, but stakeholders say the episode has renewed pressure on the National Assembly to consider structural reform of how TSC funds are collected and disbursed.
The NCAA said it would issue a compliance update at the end of the first repayment cycle.
