Air travellers may face flight disruptions as aviation unions prepare to picket airlines accused of withholding Ticket Sales Charges (TSC) collected from passengers.
The Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) said they are ready to start picketing airlines that failed to remit the Ticket Sales Charge.
The unions described the airlines’ actions as criminal, saying that the carriers collected the money on behalf of aviation agencies but failed to pay it over.
In a statement signed by Comrades Frances Akinjole and Odinaka Igbokwe, the General Secretaries of ATSSSAN and NUATE, the unions accused the airlines of diverting funds meant for the aviation sector.
“It has become crystal clear that these airlines that collected this money from the passengers on behalf of the aviation agencies have decided to siphon the fund to the detriment of our collective safety and well-being,” the statement said.
The unions said airlines that diverted the funds do not deserve to continue operating in Nigeria’s airspace, which responsible operators help to sustain.
Although they did not announce a date for the action, the unions warned that they could stop the operations of the affected airlines at airports across the country without further notice.
“Our unions, in safeguarding the interests of airport workers and the safety of the flying public, have decided to stop the operations of the cancerous airlines in our airports any time from now, without any further notice,” the statement added.
ATSSSAN and NUATE copied the media, the defaulting airlines, the Nigeria Police Airport Command, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the general public in the notice of the planned picketing.
The unions recalled that August 3, 2026, marked the end of a seven-day ultimatum issued after an earlier 14-day notice to the defaulting airlines.
They said the affected airlines deliberately refused to remit the Ticket Sales Charges paid by passengers.
The funds support the operations of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet).
The unions said the concerned airlines remained adamant despite the warnings.
External Links
Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA): https://ncaa.gov.ng
Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA): https://nama.gov.ng
Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet): https://nimet.gov.ng
