Aviation Workers Demand Payment of Ticket Sales Charges

Aviation workers in Nigeria have issued a seven-day ultimatum to airline operators and other organizations to remit outstanding 5 percent Ticket Sales Charges owed to aviation agencies. This ultimatum, signed by Frances Akinjole, General Secretary of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, and Odinaka Igbokwe, Deputy General Secretary of the National Union of Air Transport Employees, follows the expiration of a previous 14-day notice on July 23, which saw no compliance from the affected operators.

The Ticket Sales Charge is a statutory levy collected on airline tickets sold in Nigeria, intended for the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority and other aviation agencies. The unions expressed disappointment over the "willful non-compliance" of airlines, warning that the failure to remit these charges is jeopardizing the financial stability of aviation agencies and the welfare of employees.

They emphasized that continued non-remittance poses a security risk to Nigeria's airspace and announced that failure to comply within the seven-day period would lead to concrete actions, including nationwide picketing.