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…Owners shun renewal
By Chinelo Obogo
The federal government is currently losing millions in revenue as over 50 out of 60 Private Non-Commercial Flight permits issued to private jet owners in Nigeria have expired, Daily Sun has learned.
Reliable sources within the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) revealed that as of October 2025, 54 permits out of the total 60 Nigerian-registered Private Non-Commercial Flight permits have lapsed. This comes as the federal government intensified crackdown on illegal charter operations and Customs duty evasion in the aviation sector.
Revenue impact
The financial implications of this permit expiration are significant because each Private Non-Commercial Flight permit costs N2 million to obtain and must be renewed every three years. With 54 expired permits, the NCAA is conservatively losing about N108 million in renewal fees alone.
The PNCF permit is specifically for private jet owners who wish to operate their aircraft for personal, non-commercial purposes within Nigeria’s airspace. The permit authorises owners to use their jets for private travel, transporting family members, guests and associates, but forbids any form of commercial operation with it.
Why owners are abandoning their permits
Sources within the NCAA gave Daily Suns reasons why many permit holders may have allowed their permit to expire without renewal. One of the sources said: “First, you have to know that some aircraft owners have simply decided they no longer wish to operate in the private non-commercial category. Again, economic conditions, changing business needs and the substantial costs associated with aircraft ownership have led many to exit the market entirely. “There is a prominent Nigerian cleric who once owned a private jet but after the 2011 presidential election, his aircraft was left idle in a hangar for a long period before it eventually disappeared. “In such cases, the lack of financial resources to maintain and renew permits, combined with the loss of the original purpose for aircraft ownership, makes abandonment the most logical choice.
“Secondly, some owners have relocated abroad. For such people, maintaining a Nigerian PNCF permit no longer serves any purpose. However, the third and perhaps most significant factor is likely due to the fact that the government is cracking down on illegal charter operations. Many private jet owners had been using their aircraft to conduct commercial operations illegally while holding non-commercial permits. With the government’s recent focus on ending such practices, many operators have chosen to let their permits expire.”
Election season
The source also pointed out how Nigeria’s election cycles create incentives for the non-renewal of permits. An explanation given was that during campaign seasons, demand for private jets usually surge and rather than maintaining their own PNCF permits, some aircraft owners have discovered a lucrative way of making money. They prefer to lease their jets to non-scheduled operators who hold proper Air Operator Certificates. Through a Memorandum of Understanding, the AOC holder operates the aircraft on the owner’s behalf, conducting charter flights during the election season and sharing the profits. This arrangement allows owners to profit from their aircraft without bearing the costs of maintaining permits. In some cases, owners with expired permits simply transfer their aircraft to operators with valid AOCs without renewing their own permits at all.
Foreign registration
The source went further to explain that there are two categories of private jets in Nigerian airspace: those with Nigerian registration and those with foreign registration.
Foreign-registered aircraft operate under a different framework. Instead of obtaining PNCF permits, they enter Nigeria using Maintenance Clearance Certificates and Flight Operation Clearance Certificates which allows them to operate for limited periods without having to get the Nigerian registration.
Any private jet that operates in Nigeria continuously for one year is supposed to obtain a PNCF permit, however, many foreign-registered aircraft operators have exploited this by flying in and out of the country. They operate in Nigeria for several months, then fly out before the one-year mark, only to return later and validate their MCC/FOCC status again. This pattern allows them to operate for long periods in Nigeria while avoiding PNCF registration requirements.
Permit application process
Obtaining PNCF permits requires a rigorous process. Permit holders must obtain security clearances from all relevant security agencies, including the Department of State Services. Residential clearance and ministerial approval from the Minister of Interior are also required before an aircraft can even be imported into the country.
Applicants must have a registered address in Nigeria, whether they are Nigerian citizens or foreign nationals conducting business in the country. All clearance documents must be submitted to the NCAA as part of the registration process.
Illegal charter operations
In 2024, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo established a task force to investigate illegal charter operations after the National Security Adviser raised alarm about a surge in criminal activity.
The task force, chaired by Captain Ado Sanusi, Managing Director of Aero Contractors, conducted a three-month investigation which found that private jet ownership had increased from 44 aircraft in 2005 to 157 in 2024. It was also revealed that the federal government had lost over N120 billion to illegal private jet operators conducting unauthorized charter operations over a period of 10 years. These operators were using unmonitored and abandoned airstrips, allegedly facilitating money laundering and drug smuggling. The investigation identified foreign-registered aircraft as the most complicit in illegal operations, as they operated largely outside NCAA oversight. The task force revealed violations by PNCF holders who were conducting commercial “hire and reward” flights while holding permits that prohibited such activities.
Customs enforcement
Following the aviation task force’s revelations, the Nigeria Customs Service also launched its own verification exercise on June 19, 2024, targeting private jet owners who had failed to pay import duties. The NCS identified between 60 and 80 aircraft operators who owed outstanding duties and gave them a 30-day window to regularize their documentation.
When many operators failed to comply, the deadline was extended in September 2024. By October 2024, the government issued a final 30-day ultimatum, threatening to ground any aircraft whose owners had not paid their import duties.
