The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) may soon recommence the collection of the controversial $300 landing fee for helicopter operators in the country.
This development comes six months after the federal government suspended the levy following protests from airline operators.
Recall that the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, had engaged NAEBI Dynamic Concept to collect the fee. However, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, suspended the fee in May 2024, stating that further actions would follow the review committee’s report.
Speaking at the 53rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers’ Association (NATCA) on Thursday in Kano, NAMA’s Director of Air Traffic Services, Tayo John, noted that the resumption of the levy collection would alleviate the agency’s financial burdens.
Presenting a paper titled Financial Constraints Affecting Nigeria’s Air Navigation Provision: Impact and Mitigation Strategies, John explained that the Federal Government had initially directed NAMA to halt the fee collection due to prevailing national issues.
“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,” he said.
He disclosed that the agency is working on modalities to resume the levy, which applies to helicopters taking off and landing at oil rig platforms and private helipads nationwide. However, he did not specify an exact date for the resumption.
John highlighted the substantial costs of providing navigation aids, maintaining Air Traffic Management (ATM) equipment, and sustaining NAMA’s workforce. He also lamented the deduction of 50% of NAMA’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) into the federal purse and the 10% remittance to the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet).
He further outlined other financial challenges facing NAMA, including budgetary constraints, revenue collection difficulties, high operational costs, and dependence on foreign exchange.
“These constraints hinder our ability to modernise equipment, maintain infrastructure, and ensure consistent training for our personnel,” he said.
In another presentation titled ‘Safety Implications in Fiscal Constraint and Political Interference’, Ademola Adedayo discussed how financial constraints and political interference impact safety in air navigation services.
