Helicopter operators to pay $300 fee – FG
The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) on Thursday declared that it would recommence the collection of a $300 landing fee on helicopter operators in the country soon.
Director of Air Traffic Services, NAMA, Mr Tayo John made the declaration at the 53rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers’ Association (NATCA) in Kano adding that the collection of the fee would ease the agency’s current financial burden.
He spoke while presenting a paper title: ‘Financial Constraints Affecting Nigeria’s Air Navigation Provision: Impact and Mitigation Strategies,’ John said that the Federal Government prevailed on it to drop the fee when it commenced its collection a few months ago, but declared that this time around, there was no going back.
He said: “In the next few weeks, we will recommence the collection of $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 then, but this time around, we will resume the collection.”
The Federal Government through the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, had engaged NAEBI Dynamic Concept to collect the fee from helicopter landings and take-offs on and from oil rig platforms and private helipads.
The ATS Director in his paper further emphasised that the cost of providing the navigation aids, Air Traffic Management (ATM) equipment and maintaining the required workforce by NAMA was very huge.
He also lamented the deduction of 50 per cent of the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of NAMA into the federal purse, adding that the agency also pays 10 per cent of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) remittance to the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet).
Some of the other financial constraints faced by NAMA included budgetary limitations, revenue collection issues, high operational costs and dependence on foreign exchange, among others.
According to him, these financial constraints limited the agency’s capacity to fulfil set targets, geared towards the mandate to provide safe, reliable, and efficient air navigation services.
“These constraints hinder our ability to modernise equipment, maintain infrastructure, and ensure consistent training for our personnel,” he said.
Ademola Adedayo in his presentation on “Safety Implications of Fiscal Constraints and Political Interference on the Recruitment, Suitable Training and Retraining of Air Traffic Controllers,” said financial constraints and interference in recruitment has implications for safety.
He said, “The safety implication of fiscal constraint and political interference in the recruitment, training and retraining of ATCs are serious and far-reaching understaffing, inadequate training, lack of experienced personnel, outdated system and low morale, all increase the risk of errors in air traffic control operation, which can lead to safety incidents or accidents.
“For optimal safety, it is essential to safeguard ATC resources and staffing decision from political pressures and ensure consistent investment in the training, development and modernisation efforts. To ensure the recruitment and training of staff are not affected by fiscal budget and political interference, ATCs need to be shielded from political interference and influence. This requires multifaceted approach or approaches such as legal protection in accordance with Nigerian constitution with relevance to the NCAR and Civil Aviation Act and International Best Practices like transparency, independent oversight and judicial enforcement.”
