Nigerian airlines owe aviation agencies N42bn $7.8m in ticket, cargo charges

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has revealed that Nigerian airlines owe aviation agencies in the country N42bn and $7.8m from the statutory 5% in ticket sales charge and cargo sales charge.

Director-General of NCAA, Capt. Musa Nuhu who disclosed this during a stakeholder meeting held with indigenous airlines and ground handling companies in Abuja on Tuesday, said the airlines owed the NCAA N19 billion and $7.8 million.

He also added that the airlines are also indebted to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) to the tune of N18 billion and N5 billion, respectively putting the total debt to aviation agencies at N42 billion and $7.8 million.

He said, “The airlines owe FAAN landing and parking charges, while they are also hugely indebted to NAMA in terminal and navigational charges. If the debts owed the agencies were not paid back immediately the aviation organisations may collapse very soon.”

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Nuhu also gave the operators one month ultimatum to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NCAA, which would stipulate the repayment plans of their debts to the agency.

Nuhu who noted that the airlines and the entire aviation industry were going through a very difficult period, especially at this time, insisted that all the charges collected by NCAA were statutorily and in compliance with the Civil Aviation Act 2006.

According to him, the airlines were not responsible for the payment of TSC/CSC, but only collect such on behalf of the agencies from the passengers and wondered why the operators would accuse it of engaging in multiple levies.

Also, Engr. Mathew Pwajok, the Acting Managing Director of NAMA, reiterated that the charges of the agency were minimal when compared to other countries around the world.

He, however, disclosed that the airlines owed them over N5 billion for services rendered to them over the years.

Also, Capt. Rabiu Yadudu of FAAN, also disclosed that the airlines owe the agency N18 billion and debunked the claim that it charges the airlines indiscriminately as claimed in its letter.

He declared that FAAN was not imposing any new burden on the airlines, stressing that its landing and parking charges for international operators were last reviewed in 1998, while for the local airlines, it was reviewed last in 2002.

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He said that there was a need for the charges to be reviewed by the agency, stressing that within the period, the airlines had reviewed their air tickets on numerous occasions.