Disruptions Loom In Oil, Gas Sector Over Helicopter Landing Fee

Disruption looms in the nation’s oil and gas sector as the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) is set to deny flight clearances and possibly shut down non-compliant oil and gas companies operating in the country over non-payment of the $300 helicopter landing levies.

NAMA, in a notice on Wednesday, stated that it had been engaging operators in the sector since 2022, in collaboration with Naebi Dynamic Concepts Limited, to enforce compliance with the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency Act of 2022, but to no avail.

The airspace management agency disclosed that enforcing helicopter landing levies aligned with global aviation standards, as is currently practised in other International Civil Aviation Organisation member states across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

“Since 2022, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, in partnership with Naebi Dynamic Concepts Limited, has consistently issued multiple written communications to engage oil and gas operators on the statutory provisions of the NAMA Act. Regrettably, these proactive efforts have not yielded the desired compliance, due to the influence of certain individuals who have worked with them against adherence to established regulatory requirements,” the statement read partly.

“These levies are essential to sustaining the maintenance, upgrading, and acquisition of modern air navigation infrastructure critical for the safe and efficient management of Nigeria’s airspace, particularly given the growing operations of drones, helicopters, and fixed-wing aircraft,” it stated.

According to the NAMA, the agency is exclusively empowered to provide and manage all air navigation services and air traffic control across Nigerian airspace, including for public and private aerodromes, saying Sections 8 and 9 of the NAMA Act prohibited any person or entity other than NAMA from offering such services.

The agency warned that sanctions would be applied to defaulting operators, including “denying or withholding flight clearances to any operator until outstanding charges have been paid by the operator or a security or guarantee has been given to the satisfaction of the Agency for the payment of the charges or fees.”

In more severe cases, particularly involving unauthorised helipads or platforms operating without NAMA clearance, the agency said it would seek ministerial approval to shut down or relocate such facilities, adding “This will be done in line with Section 8(3) of the Act.”

Consequently, NAMA has given affected oil firms a seven-day ultimatum to submit payment plans to Naebi Dynamic Concepts Ltd or face enforcement action.

“Failure to comply within the stipulated timeframe will trigger appropriate enforcement measures, including the denial of flight clearances for helicopter operations to oil fields, terminals, platforms, rigs, Floating Production Storage and Offloading units, helipads, airstrips, and aerodromes.

“This action is undertaken not merely to enforce regulatory compliance, but to safeguard national security, enhance aviation safety, promote operational sustainability, and ensure the continued efficiency of Nigeria’s aviation ecosystem, all in alignment with international obligations and globally accepted best practices,” he said,