As part of measures to recover more than 47 billion naira owed to them by airlines, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has declared a “no pay, no service” penalty for airlines that fail to comply.
The agency’s acting director general, Chris Najomo, said it was time to impose strict sanctions against defaulters, stressing that all debtors will therefore “stop receiving services from the authority.”
Addressing journalists in Lagos to reveal his plans for the agency, Najomo revealed that plans were afoot to establish a Joint Debt Recovery Task Force to implement the NCAA recovery campaign.
The Acting Director General also noted that the agency was no stranger to the illicit activities of private jet operators operating commercial flights without commercial licenses. He stressed that anyone who wants to carry out commercial or charter operations must apply for a commercial license.
A recent preliminary report by Nigeria’s Security Investigation Bureau revealed that the Flint Aero plane, which crashed at Ibadan airport in November last year while carrying the Minister of Energy, Adebayo Adelabu, was operating illegally.
Highlighting the regulatory framework, Najomo said only holders of an air transport license (ATL) and an airline operating permit (AOP) with a valid air operator certificate (AOC) were authorized to conduct charter operations.
He maintained that the NCAA will implement a robust risk-based surveillance system to close any potential gaps opened by the increase in the validity period of Air Operator Certificates (AOC) for scheduled and non-scheduled operators.
Surveillance, which covers security and economic monitoring, will be expanded to all service providers, Najomo added.
He further stated that the authority will intensify its efforts to enforce compliance by airlines with part 19 of Nig Cars 2023 on Consumer Protection Regulations.
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“In line with the Minister of Aviation’s assurance that air passengers get value for their money, the NCAA would ensure that airlines provide timely attention to passengers in the event of service interruptions, that consumers receive quality services in the aviation industry and that its rights are always protected. ”said Mr. Najomo.
The Acting Director General reiterated the agency’s commitment to implementing a simplified certification and licensing system to streamline the approval process. He hinted that this will extend to other authorizations, approvals and permits.
“This is a derivative of the ease of doing business philosophy to foster the growth of the aviation industry,” he said.