Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development has said that it would not rescind the introduction of landing charges on helicopter operations, saying it is in line with international best practices.

This comes as petroleum workers, under the aegis of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, threatened to ground operations over the landing charges introduced by the ministry.

The union argued that the landing charges would pose threats to the sustainability and viability of the helicopter transport sector, which they described as critical to Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

A statement signed by the Director of Publicity, Mr Oluseyi Odutayo, said, however, said the ministry recognised the importance of helicopter operations in Nigeria’s aviation industry and was committed to implementing international best practices in helicopter operations through its agency, Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).

He said the introduction of helicopter landing levies was in line with international best practices to enhance the quality of helicopter operations as well as cost recovery measures to generate aeronautical revenue from the lower airspace (land and territorial waters).

The statement reads: “Helicopter landing levies are commonplace in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, India, and various regions worldwide. For instance, Tallahassee International Airport in Florida began implementing helicopter landing levies under Vector Airport Systems since October 1, 2022. ”

To achieve this mandate, the ministry said it has granted NAEBI Dynamic Concepts Limited exclusive rights to collect helicopter landing levies in line with the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the firm and NAMA (focal Agency), Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).