NCAA orders AON to remit charges on ticket sales timely

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has given a marching order to the Airlines Operators of Nigeria (AON) to remit the outstanding balances of its statutory 5% Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) in their possession within 90 days.

The NCAA, on Monday, February 2, 2026 at its headquarters in Abuja, engaged the AON on the implementation of Advance Payment Guarantees (APG) where the Director General of Civil Aviation, Captain Chris Najomo, approved a 90-day deferment of the APG requirement to allow airline operators regularise outstanding remittances.

The critical engagement is sequel to a request by the AON for clarification on the requirement for airlines to provide bank-backed APGs in line with the Authority’s responsibility to safeguard funds collected from passengers on behalf of the Nigerian aviation system.

Captain Chris Najomo explained that the NCAA is empowered under the Civil Aviation Act (CAA) 2022 (as amended) to collect the 5% TSC on a cost-recovery basis, representing funds paid by passengers and held in trust by airlines for remittance to the Authority for sharing among key aviation agencies.

While expressing deep concern over persistent delays in remittances by some operators, the DGCA stated that the introduction of APGs is intended to strengthen compliance, improve remittance timelines, and ensure predictable funding for effective regulation across the aviation sector.

He, therefore, urged operators to take full advantage of the grace period and reiterated the Authority’s commitment to maintaining industry stability and ease of doing business without compromising its statutory mandate.

On behalf of AON, the Chief Executive Officer of Overland Airways, Captain Edward Boyo,  pledged that all Air Operator Certificate (AOC) holders would meet their financial obligations within the deferment period.