The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), yesterday threatened to ground the operations of indigenous airlines in the next one month over outstanding debts of N19 billion and $7.6 million on ticket charges they collected from passengers but refused to remit to the Authority.
The NCAA accused the Nigerian airlines of deliberately trying to cripple its operations; a situation it said is crippling its finances and pitching it against the Federal Government.
NCAA Director-General, Capt. Musa Nuhu, gave the warning at a stakeholders meeting with members of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) and ground handlers in Abuja.
He added that the airlines rather than thinking creatively to grow the businesses and the industry, they target the Authority with campaigns of calumny and falsehoods.
He charged all airlines indebted to the NCAA to enter a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on how they will pay their debts within or have their licences suspended at the expiration of the deadline.
Nuhu said: “All airlines indebted to the NCAA must enter an MoU on how they will pay their debts in the next 30 days from August 30th, 2022 or their licences will be suspended at the expiration of the deadline.”
Besides, he added: “Since 2009, the NCAA had not reviewed its services, yet local airlines refused to pay, and these NCAA charges are far lower than Ghana’s.
“The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) are also being owed over N5 billion and N19 billion respectively by the same Nigerian registered airlines.”
All airlines indebted to the NCAA must enter an MoU on how they will pay their debts in the next 30 days from August 30th, 2022 or their licences will be suspended at the expiration of the deadline.
