NCAA Rejects Funding Cut, Cites Aviation Safety Risks

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has expressed strong opposition to a proposal before the National Assembly that seeks to amend the revenue-sharing formula for the statutory five percent Ticket Sales Charge and Cargo Sales Charge. Currently, the NCAA receives 56% of the revenue, while the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) receives 22%.

The proposed amendment would reduce the NCAA's allocation to 40% and increase NAMA's share to 40%. Michael Achimugu, the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the NCAA, stated that such a funding cut could undermine aviation safety and jeopardize Nigeria's performance in future International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) audits.

Achimugu emphasized that the NCAA is already underfunded and warned that further deductions would risk failing safety audits, potentially leading to penalties from ICAO. He suggested that NAMA should seek alternative funding sources rather than relying on allocations from the NCAA.