By Dickson Omobola
Following threats by some aviation unions to crack down on airlines over the non-remittance of the statutory five per cent Ticket Sales Charge, TSC, the Airline Operators of Nigeria, AON, has dismissed the planned action and warned against any disruption of flight operations.
TSC is a statutory levy collected by airlines from passengers and remitted to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA.
Secretary of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, ATSSSAN, Frances Akinjole, and the Deputy General Secretary of the National Union of Air Transport Employees, NUATE, Odinaka Igbokwe, had said some airlines failed to remit the TSC.
According to them, the non-remittance had continued to deprive aviation agencies of funds needed to sustain safe and efficient operations.
Responding to the unions in a statement on Monday, AON warned that any group that disrupts airline operations or endangers the safety of the flying public would be held responsible for their actions.
According to them, they had no transactional relationship with the unions on the issue and questioned their authority to speak on behalf of the NCAA.
The statement reads: “AON has taken note of threats by certain aviation unions to disrupt flight operations over allegations of unremitted TSC owed to the NCAA. We would not ordinarily dignify this with a response, but the numerous calls from anxious passengers demanding to know the fate of their travel plans leave us no choice. It is therefore on their behalf that we speak.
“We want to clearly state that the AON has no transactional relationship whatsoever with these unions on this matter. To the best of our knowledge, they do not speak for, nor on behalf of, the NCAA. Those behind these threats have been misinformed, and we urge them to seek facts from the appropriate quarters before taking any action capable of inflicting needless hardship on the traveling public.
“Nigerian airlines are already operating under conditions that threaten their survival. The cost of aviation fuel and the multiple charges they pay have pushed them to a breaking point. The International Air Transport Association, IATA, has confirmed what AON has repeatedly said, which is that Nigeria has one of the most expensive aviation charges globally. This is suffocating the industry and is not the time for distractions dressed up as agitation.
“We have direct engagement channels with NCAA on anything pertaining to our relationship and issues as the industry regulator as it is the industry standard world over, and that engagement continues in good faith. We state without ambiguity that any individual or group that disrupts airline operations or endangers the safety of the flying public based on this particular threat will be held responsible for the consequences. We therefore call on appropriate authorities to please take note.
“AON members, as patriotic Nigerians and legitimate investors in Nigeria’s economy and contributors to the economic development of Nigeria under President Bola Tinubu, remain fully committed to the safety and seamless travel experience of all Nigerians, and we will not be distracted by threats, misinformation, or manufactured crises.”
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