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By Faheem Lawal
The Group Managing Director of Finchglow Holdings, Bankole Bernard, has defended the five percent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC), insisting that airlines withholding the levy are not facing a genuine financial burden but an “integrity issue,” as the funds are already collected from passengers and held in the airlines’ custody.
Bernard spoke at a press briefing at the Lagos Aviation Academy ,Ikeja, on Tuesday, where he also gave updates on Finchglow Holdings’ 20th anniversary and plans for a new flying school.
Explaining how airline revenue is reconciled through the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and its Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP), Bernard said.
“When I access it, I make payment to IATA. IATA distributes this payment with the airlines as well as the regulators, carriers reconcile accounts with IATA monthly in Geneva or Madrid.
He said the current dispute is not over TSC collected through BSP, but over charges airlines collect directly outside the platform funds he said some carriers are reluctant to remit because of accumulated legacy debts predating their entry into BSP.
“That money, because it is in their possession, they are reluctant to pay it,I don’t support such financial recklessness. I’m a stakeholder in the industry and I should be focusing on the best interest of the industry.”
He urged airlines to challenge other charges such as landing fees or airport facility charges through proper channels if they consider them excessive, rather than withholding TSC. “If it’s a landing fee, you want them to reduce it, you have the right. But you cannot say you owe those to the regulator simply because the money is already in your care,” he said.
Bernard also linked the dispute to Nigeria’s investment climate..
During a question-and-answer session, industry stakeholders and journalists at the briefing debated a proposal to replace the variable 5% TSC with a fixed amount added to every ticket, which proponents argue would be easier to enforce and less burdensome to smaller travel agencies.
On the question of legacy debts, Bernard argued that outstanding obligations some reportedly dating back over a decade should be formally written off in line with standard accounting practice, rather than continually renegotiated.
Stakeholders also called for a centralised passenger data system shared across aviation agencies including FAAN, the NCAA, NAMA and NiMET to reduce confusion in passenger figures and improve transparency in charge collection.
On his company’s operations, Bernard said Finchglow Holdings recently marked 20 years in business, while its travel subsidiary, Travelden, is marking its 10th anniversary.
He said the group is awaiting final state government approval for land allocation at the Gateway airport in Ogun State to establish a flying school, an extension of Finchglow’s existing aviation training licence.
Bernard also cited Finchglow’s push for a cargo agents’ certification scheme (CAS) under IATA, aimed at curbing fraud among unregistered cargo agencies operating outside the airline-recognised trade body.
