* Aviation Minister, Senator Hadi Sirika
…It Must Be Remitted— Senator Ibn Na’Allah
…As Demuren Appeals To NASS Not To Review TSA Sharing Formula
…Says NCAA Must Be Autonomous, Regulate Aviation Industry Effectively
As the public hearing to review the Acts establishing aviation agencies organised by the National Assembly begins today, the Aviation Minister, Senator,Hadi Sirika has disclosed that that the airline operators , owe the agencies the sum $6, 993, 284 million and N19, 365, 374,336 billion being the total amount of Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) and Cargoes Sales Charge(CSC) collected on behalf of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA ), which airlines have refused to remit.
The disclosure by the minister followed a position by the Airline Operators of Nigeria’s (AON) represented by a lawyer, Mrs Chinasa Unaegbunam, calling on the National Assembly to amend Clause 23 of the Civil Aviation Act and slash the 5 per cent TSC/CSC.
She also suggested that AON should be included as a the member of the governing board of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA), as according to her , the inclusion will give the airline umbrella body a voice
Sirika said that the money owed were not charges as erroneously stated by the learned lady but a charge collected by airlines on behalf of NCAA which were not remitted.
AON, the Minister explained presently owes $6, 993, 284 million and N19, 365, 374,336 billion on the 5 per cent shared by NCAA , the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency ( NAMA), the Accident Investigation Bureau ( AIB). Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) and Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET), adding that presently
He added that plan is in the pipeline to adjust the sharing formula but as it is today ,the NCAA gets the lion share with 56 per cent, NAMA 22 per cent, NiMET 9 percent, NCAT-7 per cent and AIB 6 percent .
However, the former Director General of NCAA, Dr. Harold Demuren appealed to the National Assembly not to reduce the percentage currently being enjoyed by the NCAA.
He said that the NCAA must be buoyant to be autonomous and regulate the industry effectively.
Demuren said that what he said is also the position of the two other past director generals of NCAA ; Engr. Fidelis Onyeyiri and Capt. Usman Muktar have agreed on; that NCAA’s share of the TSC/CSC should not be reduced.
He informed the gathering that TSC/ CSC was initially for NCAA and NAMA but that later it was extended to other agencies in the sector.
On his part, the Secretary of Aviation Round Table(ART)Grp. Capt. John Ojikutu, said that the airlines have no right to withhold the TSC/CSC they collected from passengers on behalf of NCAA, accusing the airlines of being part of the problem the industry currently have.
Ojikutu , also called for a review of the sharing formula of the 5 per cent TSC/CSC.
AbelNews recalled that section 12 (1) of the Civil Aviation Act 2006 says that there shall continue to be a five per cent air ticket contract, charter and cargo sales charge to be collected by the airlines and paid over to the Authority.
