By MERCY ODEH (Content Editor) 

LAGOS, NIGERIA — The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has called on the Federal Government to commercialise or privatise the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), arguing that the move is necessary to modernise Nigeria’s air navigation infrastructure and strengthen aviation safety.

In a statement, the committee said NAMA’s continued dependence on government budgetary allocations and statutory funding has limited its ability to invest in critical technologies and infrastructure needed to meet evolving global aviation standards.

According to the committee, commercialisation or privatisation would enable the agency to access private equity, international financing, capital markets and bond issuance, providing the resources required to deploy next-generation air navigation technologies, including satellite-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) systems and modern backup infrastructure.

It argued that the current funding model, which is tied largely to annual government budgets, often suffers delays arising from prolonged budget processes, changing political priorities and bureaucratic bottlenecks, thereby slowing the implementation of critical safety upgrades.

The committee maintained that transforming NAMA into a commercially driven organisation would allow it to make faster operational decisions, finance long-term infrastructure projects independently and improve service delivery without relying solely on annual budget appropriations.

It pointed to successful international examples, including Nav Canada, NATS Holdings and Airways New Zealand, noting that these air navigation service providers operate effectively under user-pays models that have delivered financial sustainability, operational efficiency and continuous technological advancement.

The committee also reviewed NAMA’s revenue profile, noting that the agency’s internally generated revenue is driven primarily by en-route charges, overflight charges, its statutory share of the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) and other non-navigational charges.

It added that the agency also earns revenue from charter flight charges, Air Traffic Services provided at private and state-owned airports, aeronautical telecommunications services, calibration services, obstacle evaluation fees, aeronautical information sales, cartographic surveys, aerial operations and special Hajj and pilgrimage operations.

However, the committee expressed concern over what it described as inadequate transparency in some aspects of the agency’s revenue reporting. It called for greater public disclosure of revenues generated from airspace violation penalties and Extension of Service Hours charges, saying such disclosures would improve public confidence in NAMA’s financial management.

The workers also questioned the agency’s proposal before the National Assembly seeking an increase of between 23 and 40 per cent in the Ticket Sales Charge, insisting that greater transparency should precede any increase in statutory charges.

JAC stressed that aviation safety depends on maintaining clear institutional responsibilities. Under its proposed model, NAMA would concentrate solely on the safe and efficient management of Nigeria’s airspace, while the NCAA would continue to function as an independent government regulator responsible for oversight, safety audits and enforcement in line with the Civil Aviation Act and International Civil Aviation Organization Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs).

According to the committee, such a structure would eliminate potential conflicts of interest by separating commercial operations from regulatory oversight, ensuring that financial objectives never compromise passenger safety.

It proposed either full privatisation or a carefully structured Public-Private Partnership (PPP), under which NAMA would be converted into an independent corporation with private sector participation, measurable performance targets and safeguards to protect national security while retaining effective government regulation.

The committee warned that maintaining the current structure—characterised by ageing infrastructure, funding constraints and operational inefficiencies—could leave Nigeria lagging behind global aviation developments.

It concluded that commercialising or privatising NAMA would provide a proven pathway to modern infrastructure, improved operational efficiency, stronger financial sustainability and enhanced aviation safety, urging the Federal Government to leverage private sector expertise to secure the future of Nigeria’s aviation industry.