Two major aviation unions — the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) — have petitioned the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) over alleged violations of the “Safety Threshold Ground Handling Charges” by operators.
In a joint letter signed by ATSSSAN’s Principal Deputy General Secretary, Frances Akinjole, and NUATE’s Deputy General Secretary, Odinaka Igbokwe, the unions accused the regulator of failing to respond to earlier complaints on the matter. They warned that continued undercutting of agreed charges by ground handling companies could undermine industry safety and might trigger industrial action.
The unions also copied the managing directors of Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc (NAHCO), Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO), airlines, and union executives. NAHCO and SAHCO, alongside Precision Aviation Handling Company, Butake Resources Limited, and Swissport Nigeria, dominate the ground handling market.
Earlier this year, the Aviation Ground Handling Association of Nigeria announced new rates citing inflation and rising operational costs. Charges for servicing aircraft such as Boeing 737s rose from ₦70,000 to ₦400,000, while pushback services jumped from ₦22,000 to ₦200,000. Following airline pushback, NCAA later approved a 15 per cent reduction.
Despite this, operators have accused rivals of breaching the pricing framework by slashing rates to attract business. The unions insist that the NCAA must enforce compliance to preserve industry integrity.
The development comes amid speculation that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) may investigate the alleged violations. NCAA Director-General, Chris Najomo, recently met with EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede in Abuja, though details of their discussion remain undisclosed.