Aviation Crackdown: NCAA suspends services to Air Peace, Ibom Air, nine others

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has suspended regulatory and administrative services to 11 domestic airlines over unpaid statutory charges owed to the aviation regulator.

The directive, issued through an internal memo dated May 22, 2026, placed the affected carriers on the authority’s updated “No-Pay-No-Service” list pending the settlement of outstanding debts or the approval of repayment arrangements.

Among the airlines affected are Air Peace, Ibom Air, Arik Air, United Nigeria Airlines, Max Air, Rano Air, NG Eagle, ValueJet, Overland Airways, Umza Air, and Caverton Helicopters.

The memo, signed by the NCAA’s Director of Finance and Accounts, Olufemi Odukoya, instructed all directorates and regional offices of the authority not to provide services to the listed operators without financial clearance from the finance department.

At the center of the dispute are the statutory five per cent Ticket Sales Charge and Cargo Sales Charge collected by airlines on behalf of the NCAA. The charges are used to support aviation safety oversight, economic regulation, personnel training, and other operational responsibilities of the regulator.

While the NCAA has not publicly detailed the exact amount owed by each airline, industry stakeholders say the enforcement action could disrupt regulatory processes affecting flight operations, licensing, and administrative approvals if the debts remain unresolved.

The development has sparked concern within Nigeria’s aviation sector, where airlines are already grappling with rising operational costs, foreign exchange pressures, and fluctuating aviation fuel prices.

The NCAA’s “No-Pay-No-Service” policy is part of the regulator’s broader effort to improve compliance and ensure that statutory aviation revenues are remitted promptly by operators.