The Group Managing Director of Finchglow Holdings, Mr. Bankole Bernard, has called for a central data system to resolve Nigeria’s persistent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) dispute.
Bernard said a centralised platform would remove ambiguity over airline ticket sales, collections and remittances. He also backed automation as a critical step towards making TSC payments transparent, verifiable and easier to reconcile.
Speaking during a media briefing, the Finchglow Group Managing Director said stakeholders should stop relying on fragmented records when technology can provide a common source of information.
“Why can’t we have a centralised data system?” Bernard asked.
He said such a system would allow airlines, regulators and other stakeholders to access the same information. Therefore, disagreements over how much was collected or owed could be significantly reduced.
According to Bernard, stakeholders could receive individual access to the platform while still working from one central database. That would allow each party to monitor relevant transactions without depending entirely on another stakeholder’s records.
“Everybody will see, I will have a login, I will see what I’m doing,” he said.
Central Data Can Make TSC Transparent
Bernard argued that the TSC controversy has persisted partly because stakeholders do not always operate with the same information. He said a central data platform would provide a more transparent basis for calculating obligations and confirming payments.
The Finchglow chief also linked the proposal directly to automation. He said technology can remove much of the manual intervention currently associated with aviation payments and reconciliation.
“If you really want this problem of TSC to become a thing of the past, then we should have a centralised data system,” Bernard said.
“Once we have a centralised data system, automation becomes the next thing now,” he added.
Bernard said the system should allow payments to be made electronically and receipts generated through the platform. This would eliminate arguments over whether money had been paid, received or properly accounted for.
“You can sit in your office and pay what you are going to earn,” he said. “Let us see it on the system.”
He stressed that the technology required for such a system already exists. In his view, the bigger challenge is the willingness of stakeholders to implement and enforce the right processes.
Automation Offers Stronger TSC Solution
Bernard’s proposal comes as stakeholders continue to debate the best way to administer the five per cent TSC. The discussion has included calls for a fixed charge per passenger rather than a percentage of ticket value.
A fixed charge, according to airlines and some stakeholders, could make the levy easier to calculate and collect. However, Bernard’s argument goes beyond the structure of the charge and focuses on how the system should capture, verify and settle the money.
He pointed to existing financial settlement structures within the aviation industry as evidence that automated collection is achievable. In particular, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) clearing-house model demonstrates how aviation-related financial obligations can be processed through structured systems.
The wider principle, Bernard argued, is that Nigeria should reduce dependence on manual processes. Instead, regulators and airlines should operate within a system that creates an auditable trail for transactions.
Bernard Says Airlines Should Not Carry All the Blame
Bernard also cautioned against presenting the TSC dispute as though airlines alone are responsible for the industry’s problems.
He acknowledged that regulators have the right to challenge figures declared by airlines. However, he said regulators must also have effective systems for verifying those declarations and enforcing compliance.
According to Bernard, airlines are stakeholders in the aviation system. Therefore, weaknesses in regulation, data management and enforcement should not automatically be presented as failures by carriers.
He questioned why some aviation processes still depend on manual records despite the availability of digital alternatives. He recalled situations where manual ticket sales and cash handling created opportunities for financial irregularities.
For him, the objective should therefore be to create a system where compliance can be measured rather than one that repeatedly produces accusations between stakeholders.
Transparency Could End Recurring TSC Disputes
Bernard said transparency should sit at the centre of efforts to reform TSC collection.
He argued that when airlines, regulators and other stakeholders can access the same information, disputes over passenger numbers, ticket values and payments become easier to resolve.
He decried the current system where the NCAA declares one set of figures, FAAN another and NAMA a different set, while airlines dispute the figures across the board. Bernard said such discrepancies would disappear once all stakeholders operate from a Central Data system.
The central data proposal would also make it harder for discrepancies to remain unresolved. Each transaction could be recorded, tracked and reconciled electronically.
“If we really want to bring sanity to the industry, we have to do things right,” Bernard said.
He added that the industry should focus on implementation rather than continually debating whether technological solutions are possible.
“If we choose to be transparent, every other thing will go away,” he said.
For Bernard, however, technology alone will not solve the problem. The regulator and industry stakeholders must be willing to implement the system and consistently use it.
He said the absence of implementation remains one of the biggest weaknesses in the current arrangement. Consequently, even existing regulatory processes can become ineffective when stakeholders fail to enforce them properly.
Bernard’s call for a central data system therefore represents a broader push for accountability across the aviation sector. The proposed model would connect data collection, verification, payment and receipt generation within one transparent framework.
Central Data Could Reset the TSC Debate
The Finchglow chief’s position is that a central data platform could give airlines access to their own transaction records while allowing regulators to monitor the same underlying information. Automation could then handle payment calculations, settlements and receipts.
That would move the TSC process away from manual reconciliation and towards a system based on verifiable digital records.
The approach could also protect airlines from inaccurate claims while giving regulators stronger tools to enforce legitimate obligations. In addition, it could help restore confidence among stakeholders who have become frustrated by recurring disputes.
Bernard’s proposal is ultimately about creating a single source of truth for aviation financial transactions.
