By Chinelo Obogo
Despite the outcry, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has said that it will resume the collection of the suspended $300 landing fee from helicopter operators.
At the 53rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers’ Association (NATCA), which was held on Thursday in Kano, the Director of Air Traffic Services, NAMA, Mr. Tayo John, said that the landing fee collection would ease the financial burden on the agency.
John, who presented a paper titled ‘Financial Constraints Affecting Nigeria’s Air Navigation Provision: Impact and Mitigation Strategies,’ said that when it commenced collection earlier in the year, the Federal Government convinced it to drop the fee. He, however, stated that this time, there is no going back, though he didn’t specify when exactly the collection would commence.
“In the next few weeks, we will recommence the collection of the $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, but this time around, we will resume the collection,” he said.
The Nigerian government came under fire in May for a new policy mandating a $300 landing fee for helicopter operators, as industry experts told Daily Sun that the policy imposes an unreasonable financial burden on the operators, which would translate to a staggering 127% increase in operational costs and push the overall tax burden to a hefty 45%.
After much outcry, however, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, on May 30th, announced the temporary suspension of the controversial fee, which was outsourced to Messers NAEBI Dynamic Concept Limited. The move resonated strongly with the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), who vehemently rejected the scathing fee, insisting it was commercially injurious to chopper operators and the Nigerian economy in general.