Local Nigerian airlines are allegedly trying to deliberately harm the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority's (NCAA) ability to conduct business.
According to NCAA, local airlines owe it approximately N19 billion and $7.6 million in ticket fees they have collected from customers but have declined to pay the Authority.
The NCAA claimed that the scenario is ruining its finances and pitting the Authority against the Federal Government.
Capt. Musa Nuhu, the NCAA Director General, said this during a stakeholders meeting with the airlines and aviation agencies on Tuesday in Abuja.
According to him, the airlines target the NCAA with a campaign of smears and lies rather than coming up with innovative ways to expand their operations and the sector.
He said all airlines indebted to the NCAA must enter an MoU on how they will pay their debts in the next 30 days from August 30th, 2022 or their licences will suspended at the expiration of the deadline.
He said since 2009, the NCAA had not reviewed its services, yet local airlines refused to pay, adding that NCAA charges were far lower than Ghana’s.
The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) are also being owed over N5 billion and N19 billion respectively by the same Nigerian registered airlines.