Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) will recommence the collection of the controversial $300 landing fee on helicopter operators in the country soon.
Speaking in Kano, on Thursday, director, Air Traffic Services, NAMA, Tayo John, said the collection of the fee would ease the agency’s current financial burden.
John, while presenting a paper: ‘Financial Constraints Affecting Nigeria’s Air Navigation Provision: Impact and Mitigation Strategies,’ said that the federal government prevailed on it to drop the fee when it commenced its collection a few months ago, but declared that this time around, there was no going back.
He was however silent on when the agency would resume the collection of the controversial fee from helicopter operators flying within the country’s airspace.
He said: “In the next few weeks, we will recommence the collection of $300 landing fee from helicopter operators. We started earlier, but the government directed us to suspend it then due to some issues in the country then, but this time around, we will resume the collection.
For instance, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), had argued that it was clear that there was neither legal framework nor legal justification for the company to introduce such a fee.
AON insisted that aside certification of helipads, most of which are privately-owned, and for which it charged certification fee, NAEBI did not provide any service to helicopter operators that would justify the imposition of such fee.
AON posited that one of the functions under NAMA Act 2022 was to provide navigation services necessary for the operation of aircraft taking off and landing and integrate them into the overall air traffic systems within the Nigerian airspace.
The minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, had in May 2024 suspended the $300 landing fee for helicopter operators.
John in his paper further emphasised that the cost of providing the navigation aids, Air Traffic Management (ATM) equipment and maintaining the required workforce by NAMA was very huge.
He also lamented the deduction of 50 per cent of the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of NAMA into the federal purse, adding that the agency also pays 10 per cent of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) remittance to the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet).
Some of the other financial constraints faced by NAMA included budgetary limitations, revenue collection issues, high operational costs and dependence on foreign exchange, among others.
According to him, these financial constraints limited the agency’s capacity to fulfil set targets, geared towards the mandate to provide safe, reliable, and efficient air navigation services.
“These constraints hinder our ability to modernise equipment, maintain infrastructure, and ensure consistent training for our personnel,” he said.
The federal government, through the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, had engaged NAEBI Dynamic Concept to collect the fee from helicopter landings and take-offs on and from oil rig platforms and private helipads.
But, stakeholders queried the collection of the fee and choice of the company, wondering about the structure NAEBI put in place to deserve such payment from helicopter companies.
