FG moves to review N11,000 flight charge as airlines kick
yarkarkara
By Nnasom David
The Director-General of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Farouk Umar, has warned that the N11,000 charge currently imposed on airlines per flight is no longer realistic, given the rising cost of maintaining aviation infrastructure.
Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday at a summit convened by the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation, Umar noted that the fee, unchanged since 2008, is charged per flight rather than per passenger.
He gave the example of a Lagos-to-Abuja trip where an airline pays only N11,000 to NAMA regardless of the number of passengers onboard.
“In 2008, we were collecting N11,000 per flight. Today, economy tickets cost between N150,000 and N200,000, yet the charge to NAMA has remained the same. This is unsustainable,” Umar said.
He explained that NAMA operates as a cost-recovery agency and must recoup investments made in modern navigation, communication, and surveillance systems. According to him, inflation, exchange rate volatility, and global supply chain disruptions have sharply increased the cost of procuring and maintaining these facilities.
“We keep upgrading our systems to keep Nigeria at par with global aviation standards, but airlines are still paying peanuts. It cannot continue this way,” he added.
Umar revealed that several attempts to convince airlines of the need for a fee adjustment have met stiff resistance.
He criticised operators for hiking ticket fares to reflect their own rising costs while opposing a similar move by NAMA.
“The airlines have not been fair. They raise fares when the economy changes but refuse to see that we also face the same pressures. Safety is at risk if we cannot recover costs,” he warned.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Aviation, Abdullahi Garba, represented by his deputy Festus Akingbaso, stressed the importance of collaboration and transparency in resolving funding challenges. He assured stakeholders that the National Assembly would support NAMA and other agencies if they demonstrate efficiency and accountability.
The post FG moves to review N11,000 flight charge as airlines kick appeared first on Vanguard News.
