Thirteen airlines owe the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) a total of N14,731,838,064.59 non International Air Transport Association (IATA) five per cent Tickets Sales Charge (TSC) which domestic carriers reportedly collected for the agency but refused to remit.
Out of this amount, a paltry N301,835,785.88 had been offset by the debtor carriers; a situation that has put the airlines and NCAA at loggerheads as later threatened to sanction erring operators.
The airlines that are indebted to the aviation regulatory body are Aero Contractors (N389,839,503.42); Arik Air paid N61,477,779.67, but has outstanding debts of N9,460,745,429.96; Chanchangi N442,148,618.52; Dana Air N1,241,951,184.28 but only settled N57,500,000.00; FirstNation N421,444,960.13 but offset N8,370,066.00; IRS N1,054,403,662.52; Medview N1,037,629,402.23 but settled only N30,000,000.00.
Others debtors are Overland Airways which owes N19,436,520.83 but paid N12,311,189.43, Azman N321,729,901.04 but only paid N20,000,000.00; Discovery N28,339,864.19; Air Peace N309,484,328.92 but paid N109,862,633.84; African World N1,204,503.55 and Cronos Air N3,480,185.00.
Aviation consultant and former Commandant, Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, Grp. Capt. John Ojikutu (rtd) said the National Civil Aviation Regulations requirements for all airlines to remit five per cent of their ticket sales and cargo sales to the NCAA which had led to a spat between airlines and the carriers cannot be changed or suspended overnight.
He stated that government through the NCAA has been losing substantial revenue from the TSC and Cargo Sales Charges because most of the operating airlines were not complying with the respective regulations.
