Former General Secretary of the Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative, John Ojikutu, has urged the House of Representatives to require the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to contribute five per cent of its airport commercial earnings to the pool funding aviation safety agencies.
Ojikutu made the proposal in a presentation submitted to the House Committee on Aviation, where he also called for a review of the sharing formula for the existing five per cent Ticket Sales Charge, Cargo Sales Charge and Chartered Flights Charge.
He argued that FAAN, which operates airports and generates revenue from commercial and non-aeronautical activities, should be included among contributors to the aviation safety funding pool.
Ojikutu listed passenger terminal services, aircraft landing and parking charges, cargo services, car parks, toll gates, fuel sales, car-hire operations, rents, shopping malls, restaurants, check-in counters, aerobridges and VIP lounges among FAAN’s revenue-generating activities.
He also proposed a major review of the existing distribution of the five per cent charge among the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) and Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet).
Under the current arrangement, the NCAA receives 56 per cent, NAMA 22 per cent, NiMet 9 per cent, NCAT 7 per cent and NSIB 6 per cent of the pool.
Ojikutu recommended increasing NAMA’s share to 40 per cent, citing its responsibilities for air traffic control and navigation services and the resources required to maintain critical aviation infrastructure. He also argued that NCAA’s allocation should be capped at 40 per cent, rather than its current 56 per cent.
His proposal comes amid a broader dispute over the adequacy and distribution of the five per cent aviation charge, with lawmakers considering changes to the existing revenue-sharing framework. The proposal, however, is not an approved change to FAAN’s statutory revenue obligations or the current sharing formula.
