Four aviation unions have urged the Federal Government to commercialise or privatise the Nigerian Airspace Management Authority (NAMA), arguing that the move is necessary to modernise the country's air navigation infrastructure, improve operational efficiency and strengthen aviation safety.
The appeal was made in a joint statement issued on Wednesday in Lagos by unions under the Joint Action Committee of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
The unions include the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP), the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and the National Association of Air Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE).
The statement was jointly signed by ATSSSAN Branch Secretary, Obasi Ugwumba; ANAP Branch Secretary, Salami Adeniyi; NUATE Branch Secretary, Omaga Joshua; and NAAPE Branch Secretary, Celestine Chukwu.
According to the unions, NAMA's reliance on government budgetary allocations and statutory funding has constrained investment in critical technologies required to meet evolving global aviation standards.
They said commercialisation would enable the agency to access private equity, international financing, capital markets and bond issuance to fund infrastructure development, including satellite-based navigation systems and modern backup facilities for improved airspace management.
The unions noted that the current funding model, which depends largely on annual government budgets, is often affected by delays arising from prolonged budget processes, shifting political priorities and bureaucratic bottlenecks, slowing the implementation of critical safety upgrades.
They maintained that a commercially driven NAMA would be better positioned to make faster operational decisions and independently finance long-term infrastructure projects.
Reviewing the agency's revenue profile, the unions stated that NAMA generates income from en-route and overflight charges, Ticket Sales Charge allocations, charter flight charges, air traffic services, telecommunications, calibration services and obstacle evaluation fees.
However, they raised concerns over what they described as inadequate transparency in certain aspects of the agency's revenue reporting. They specifically called for the public disclosure of revenues generated from airspace violation penalties and Extension of Service Hours charges to boost public confidence.
The unions also stressed the need to maintain clear institutional responsibilities within the aviation sector, proposing that NAMA should focus solely on managing Nigeria's airspace while the NCAA continues to function as the independent regulator responsible for oversight, audits and enforcement.
According to them, separating commercial operations from regulatory oversight would eliminate conflicts of interest and ensure that financial objectives do not compromise passenger safety.
They further proposed either a full privatisation of NAMA or a carefully structured Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with measurable performance targets and safeguards to protect national security.
The unions concluded that commercialisation or privatisation remains a proven pathway to modern infrastructure, stronger financial sustainability, improved operational efficiency and enhanced aviation safety, urging the Federal Government to leverage private sector expertise to secure the future of Nigeria's aviation industry.
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