NCAA suspends services to Air Peace, Ibom Air, nine others over unpaid charges
By Damilare Adeleye
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has ordered the suspension of regulatory services to 11 domestic airlines over outstanding statutory payments owed to the aviation regulator.
The airlines indicted for the debts include Air Peace Limited, Ibom Air Limited, Arik Air Limited, United Nigeria Airlines, Umza Air, NG Eagle, Max Air Limited, Caverton Helicopters, Overland Airways, Rano Air, and ValueJet.
The directive was contained in an internal memo dated May 22, 2026, and signed by the Director of Finance and Accounts, Olufemi Odukoya.
The memo ordered all departments of the NCAA to deny administrative and regulatory support to the affected carriers until they settle their debts or reach agreed repayment plans with the authority.
At the heart of the dispute are the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) and Cargo Sales Charge (CSC). These are statutory levies collected by airlines on behalf of the NCAA to fund aviation safety oversight, personnel training, consumer protection, and economic regulation across the sector.
According to the memo, all NCAA directorates must withhold services from the listed operators pending clearance from the Directorate of Finance and Accounts.
The circular was addressed to the authority’s regional offices and copied to the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) alongside other senior officials.
“The DGCA has directed that no directorate should render any service to the above airlines without financial clearance from the Director of Finance and Accounts,” a section of the memo read.
This development could disrupt access to critical regulatory services for the affected carriers, raising concerns within the industry over potential operational setbacks and passenger disruptions.
Reacting to the development, aviation consultant Adeola Fadairo described the NCAA’s decision as necessary and overdue.
“It is not only justified, it is long overdue,” Fadairo said.
“What makes this situation particularly disturbing is that these funds do not belong to the airlines in the first place. The five per cent Ticket Sales Charge is a statutory levy paid by passengers and collected by airlines in trust for the regulator under the laws establishing the NCAA.”
“Once collected, such monies should be remitted promptly and transparently, not retained to finance operational shortfalls or balance struggling books.”
“To collect these statutory charges from passengers and deliberately fail to remit them amounts to a grave abuse of public trust and corporate responsibility.”
“No airline has the legal or moral authority to appropriate funds meant for aviation safety oversight, consumer protection, regulatory efficiency, and sectoral sustainability. The argument that remitting these obligations could worsen the financial condition of airlines is untenable,” Fadairo added.