The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has disclosed that local airlines owe regulators in the aviation sector a cumulative sum of N49 billion and $7.8 million.
The said amount is owed on the statutory 5 per cent Ticket Sales Charge and Cargo Sales Charge (TSC/CSC), terminal and navigational charges among others.
Consequently, the NCAA has given local airline operators a one-month ultimatum to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with it, which would stipulate the repayment plans of their debts to the agency.
Director-General, NCAA, Capt. Musa Nuhu, disclosed this during a stakeholder meeting held with indigenous airlines and ground handling companies in Abuja.
He disclosed that the airlines owe his agency N19 billion and were 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 unless the debts are paid, the aviation agencies faced imminent collapse.
Nuhu expressed disappointment with a letter from the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), signed by the president, Alhaji Abdulmunaf Yunusa, and dated August 8, 2022, addressed to the Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, that accused the agencies, especially the NCAA of muscling out the operators through multiple charges.
He observed that the airlines and the entire aviation industry were going through a very difficult period, especially at this time, and pointed out that all charges collected by the NCAA were statutory 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.
He accused the airlines of intentionally refusing to pay the debts in spite of having collected the money from passengers.
The acting Managing Director of NAMA, Engr. Mathew Pwajok, reiterated that the charges of the agency were minimal, compared to other countries around the world.
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.