By FUNMILAYO ADEYEMI

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of unions in the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has called for the commercialisation or privatisation of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) to modernise air navigation infrastructure.

The unions made the call in a statement jointly signed by branch secretaries of the NCAA JAC and made available to newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja.

The signatories include representatives of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP).

They said NAMA’s reliance on government funding had slowed the deployment of critical technologies needed to meet global aviation standards.

According to them, commercialising or privatising the agency would enable it to access private equity, international bonds, capital markets and other funding sources required for infrastructure upgrades.

The unions said such investment would support the deployment of next-generation air navigation systems, including satellite-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) technology and modern backup infrastructure.

They attributed delays in safety upgrades and infrastructure development to dependence on annual budgetary allocations, changing government priorities and bureaucratic processes.

The committeee said a commercially driven NAMA would be financially sustainable by raising funds through the capital market and taking faster operational decisions based on safety and efficiency.

They cited international examples such as Nav Canada, NATS Holdings and Airways New Zealand, which they said operate efficiently under user-pays models that support technological advancement.

The unions listed NAMA’s revenue sources to include en-route charges, overflight charges, its statutory share of the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) and non-navigational charges.

Other sources, they said, included charter flight services, air traffic services at private and state-owned airports, aeronautical telecommunications, calibration services, obstacle evaluation, aeronautical information sales and special Hajj operations.

However, they expressed concern over inadequate transparency in revenue generated from airspace violation fines and extension-of-service-hour charges.

They called for greater disclosure to strengthen public confidence in the agency’s financial reporting.

The committee also criticised NAMA’s proposal before the National Assembly to increase the Ticket Sales Charge by between 23 per cent and 40 per cent, urging the agency to focus on improving operational efficiency and financial accountability.

The unions stressed that any commercialisation or privatisation framework must preserve the NCAA’s role as an independent safety regulator responsible for oversight, audits and enforcement under the Civil Aviation Act.

They proposed either full privatisation or a structured Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model that would transform NAMA into an independent corporation with private sector participation, measurable performance targets and national security safeguards.

The committeee warned that maintaining the current structure could leave Nigeria behind global aviation standards due to ageing infrastructure, funding constraints and operational inefficiencies.

It urged the Federal Government to implement reforms that would improve the efficiency, safety and long-term sustainability of the country’s airspace management system. (NAN)

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