BY OLAPEJU OLUBI
The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of unions at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has called for the commercialisation or privatisation of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), arguing that the move is critical to modernising Nigeria’s air navigation infrastructure, improving operational efficiency and strengthening aviation safety.
In a joint statement signed by the branch secretaries of the four aviation unions at the NCAA, the committee said the current funding model for NAMA has become unsustainable and is slowing the deployment of modern air navigation technologies.
The statement was jointly endorsed by the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE).
According to the unions, commercialising or privatising NAMA would enable the agency to access private equity, international financing, bonds and capital markets needed to deploy advanced air traffic management technologies such as satellite-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) systems and modern backup infrastructure.
They argued that NAMA’s dependence on government budgetary allocations and statutory funding sources has created persistent financial constraints, with bureaucratic bottlenecks and shifting government priorities often delaying critical safety upgrades and infrastructure projects.
The committee maintained that transforming NAMA into a commercially driven organisation would make it financially self-sustaining and allow it to make timely investment decisions based on operational needs rather than annual government budget cycles.
The unions pointed to successful global models such as Nav Canada, NATS Holdings and Airways New Zealand, noting that these organisations operate under user-pays systems that have delivered financial stability, operational efficiency and continuous technological advancement.
They also highlighted NAMA’s existing revenue sources, including en-route charges, overflight charges, its statutory share of the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) and other non-navigation charges, which they said account for the bulk of the agency’s internally generated revenue.
Other revenue streams identified include charter flight charges, Air Traffic Services (ATS) fees at private and state-owned airports, aeronautical telecommunication charges, aircraft calibration services, obstacle evaluation fees, aeronautical information sales, cartographic surveys, aerial operation charges and special Hajj and pilgrimage operations.
However, the unions called for greater transparency in NAMA’s financial reporting, particularly with revenues generated from airspace violation fines and extension of service hour charges.
They questioned the agency’s push for a proposed increase of between 23 and 40 per cent in the Ticket Sales Charge currently before the National Assembly, insisting that improved financial disclosure would strengthen public confidence in the agency’s operations.
The committee further argued that aviation safety would be enhanced by maintaining a clear separation between NAMA’s operational responsibilities and the NCAA’s regulatory oversight.
According to the unions, under a commercialised or privatised structure, NAMA would focus solely on the safe and efficient management of Nigeria’s airspace, while the NCAA would continue to function as an independent regulator responsible for safety oversight, inspections and enforcement in line with the Civil Aviation Act and the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization.
The unions said such a framework would eliminate potential conflicts of interest and ensure that commercial objectives do not compromise aviation safety.
They proposed either full privatisation or a well-structured Public-Private Partnership (PPP) that would convert NAMA into an independent corporation with private sector participation, measurable performance targets and safeguards to protect national security while preserving government regulatory oversight.
The committee warned that maintaining the current structure, characterised by ageing infrastructure, inadequate funding and operational inefficiencies, could leave Nigeria behind global aviation standards.
It added that modernising NAMA through private sector participation would provide a sustainable pathway to safer skies, improved infrastructure, stronger financial performance and greater competitiveness for Nigeria’s aviation industry.
Olapeju is a journalist and aviation reporter.
