ECOWAS to slash airfare, eliminate taxes by January

By : Bridget Chiedu Onochie, Olusegun Koiki, Terhemba Daka

Date: 11 December 2025 5:46am WAT

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IATA’s Director General, Willie Walsh

IATA’s Director General, Willie Walsh

• Air traffic controllers accuse FAAN of flouting union’s constitution, seek sanctions • 93% of $1.2b airlines’ blocked funds trapped in Africa, Middle East, says IATA • FG approves major overhaul of airport navigation, communication systems

Effective January 1, 2026, air ticket taxes across West Africa will be removed and air fares slashed by over 20 per cent. This formed part of a sweeping regional policy to make air travel affordable and strengthen economic activities.

However, the Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers’ Association (NATCA) has formally petitioned the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), accusing the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) of persistent violations of the union’s constitutional financial rules.

Meanwhile, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) disclosed that 93 per cent of the $1.2 billion of airline revenues trapped globally are in Africa and the Middle East.

To strengthen air safety, modernise infrastructure and improve passenger experience, the Federal Government has approved a comprehensive upgrade of navigational and communication systems across airports nationwide.

Director of Transport and Telecommunications, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Chris Appiah, said yesterday in Abuja that the decision was taken after a decade of studies confirmed that West Africa had the most expensive air transport services in Africa.

Appiah added that the high cost of regional flights was driven largely by government taxes and aviation charges. “If you buy a typical ticket in West Africa from any of the airlines, you realise that about 64 to 70 per cent of the ticket price is as a result of taxes and charges,” he said.

According to him, Heads of States acknowledged the issue during their 2023 summit in Abuja and directed ministers of transport and finance to find a lasting solution.

“This led to the adoption of a supplementary act in December 2024, compelling member states to eliminate all air transport taxes and reduce aviation charges by 25 per cent starting January 2026.

“From January 1, 2026, Heads of States have agreed that all member states should remove taxes on air transport. These taxes are against the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s guidelines and suppress demand rather than support growth.”

Appiah added that the new policy is central to ECOWAS’ integration agenda, which relies heavily on connectivity and the free movement of people, goods and services.

THE violations, NATCA said, rendered FAAN unqualified to participate in the coming union elections or hold any office. ATSSSAN is due to hold elections for various positions that would usher in new executives to steer its activities for another four years this weekend in Jos, Plateau State.

A petition dated December 9, 2025, with the reference number: REF:NATCA/2025/ATSSSAN/06, signed by the President of NATCA and ex-officio, Edino Amos and Abayomi Agoro, respectively and obtained by The Guardian yesterday, purported that FAAN had repeatedly defaulted in remitting mandatory monthly union dues, a breach of many key provisions of the ATSSSAN constitution.

The petition, which was also copied to all ATSSSAN branches and the Director of Trade Union Services, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, cited Rule 4 (iii), which prohibited branches from withholding dues and Rule 4 (iv), mandating automatic suspension for branches that failed to remit dues for three consecutive months.

The petitioners further argued that FAAN’s prolonged non-remittance undermined its eligibility under Rules 6 (vii), 6 (viii) and 6 (x), which required members and branches to be in “good financial standing” before they could vote, nominate delegates, contest for office, or serve as delegates.

Therefore, the air traffic controllers urged the NEC to immediately invoke the union’s constitutional provisions and apply sanctions on FAAN for what it described as prolonged and unjustifiable non-compliance.

NATCA also demanded the immediate suspension of FAAN members from all ATSSSAN activities in line with Rule 4 (iv) until dues for the outstanding 15 months were verified.

It further expressed that FAAN must be compelled to provide verifiable proof of all remittances as earlier demanded by the National Administrative Council (NAC), adding that an investigative audit must also be conducted into FAAN’s membership data, dues-remittance history and any potential financial irregularities.

NATCA warned that allowing any branch to flout the union’s constitution poses a threat to the integrity of ATSSSAN. IATA’s latest data revealed that airline funds blocked from repatriation stood at $1.2 billion as of the end of October 2025, reflecting only a marginal improvement of $100 million since April.

The association regretted that the unpleasant situation continued to place significant financial strain on carriers operating in affected countries.

Director-General of IATA, Willie Walsh, therefore called on governments, particularly those in Africa, to remove restrictions on currency repatriation and allow airlines to access revenues from ticket sales, cargo and related activities, as guaranteed under Bilateral Air Service Agreements (BASAs).

He insisted that airlines needed reliable access to their revenues in United States dollars to keep operations running, pay their bills and maintain vital air connectivity.

Walsh stressed that freeing trapped funds was not only a contractual obligation but also crucial for economic growth. Besides, IATA revealed that 10 countries, mostly in Africa, accounted for $1.08 billion or 89 per cent of the total blocked funds, while Algeria now tops the list with $307 million held back due to newly introduced approval requirements by the Ministry of Trade.

Others are XAF Zones (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon), $179 million; Lebanon, $138 million; Mozambique, $91 million; Angola, $81 million; Eritrea, $78 million; Zimbabwe, $67 million; Ethiopia, $54 million, Pakistan, $54 million and Bangladesh with $32 million.

Walsh attributed political instability, economic pressure, forex scarcity and inconsistent documentation procedures as the primary contributors to the crisis.

He called for improved transparency on the issue and had launched a public web page that would provide quarterly updates, background details and policy developments on blocked funds globally.

MINISTER of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, disclosed the approval of the overhaul to State House Correspondents yesterday after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Keyamo said the Council endorsed the extension of the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) maintenance contract for the new terminal at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), alongside many critical aviation infrastructure projects.

The upgrades include the installation of Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control Systems (A-SMGCS) in Lagos and Abuja to detect runway obstructions; procurement of modular air traffic control towers for eight airports; deployment of an aeronautical frequency monitoring and interference detection system; and the replacement and upgrade of Very High Frequency (VHF) radio communication systems in nine airports.

He listed the airports earmarked for the VHF radio communication upgrade to include Lagos, Port Harcourt, Ilorin, Abuja, Kano, Maiduguri, Sokoto and Wukari.

Keyamo further announced presidential approval for the deployment of biometric-enabled electronic gates (e-gates) at all international airports to fast-track passenger processing and enhance travel convenience.

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