Director General of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Engr. Farouk Ahmed Umar has declared that the N11,000 charged airlines per flight by the agency is no longer realistic in the face of current economic indices.
He made the declaration on Tuesday in Abuja, while addressing stakeholders at a retreat for the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation themed: Emerging Trends in Global Aviation; Sustainability, Technology and Digital Transformation.
Lamenting that the charge had been in force sine 2008, the DG said “In 2008, NAMA was collecting N11,000 and I need to explain this so that the public out there will understand.
When I say N11,000, it’s per the whole flight, I’m just giving an example. Like from Lagos to Abuja, we are charging N11,000 for the whole flight. That means irrespective of the number of passengers there, we are not charging per passengers.
“Because that was the blackmail actually they wanted to give us when we first introduced the issue about two years ago, and we said, no, no, you are not fair. You know the truth, but you are only trying to move around it. So that N11,000, at that time, the airlines were collecting N16,000 per individual economic ticket. I’m not talking about business class; economic ticket.
“Now, from 2008 to date, you and I know that they are collecting almost N150,000, or it’s hovering between N150,000 and N200,000 economic ticket, and yet we are still where we were, N11,000, and given the fact that we are cost recovery agents, we are supposed to recover from what we have invested. We’ve invested hugely in procuring improved landing system, surveillance system, communication system, and yet we keep modernizing.
“We keep moving with the technology so that we will not be left behind, and yet you are still paying us peanuts. I think the world needs to know, and the airlines need to first reality of life, we cannot continue this way.”
Fiedling questions on how much the airlines have been engaged on the matter, he said “We have made several attempts to draw the attention of the airlines. There’s a need for us to sit down, it’s been a part of our requirement that we should engage them, discuss with them, let them see a reason why we must review these charges.
“The truth of the matter is, the airlines have not been fair to the agency because we are not a charity organization. We are a cost recovery agency, and yet they have been responding to economic prevailing circumstances, economic situation, and yet they don’t want to understand that we also go to the same markets. We procure this equipment hugely, and therefore there’s what you call cost recovery.
“Let’s just recover what we have invested for their own services so that safety is not compromised. Unfortunately, the airlines are still, they know better. They want to continue paying peanuts while they are charging
the right, appropriate fare for their services, and they don’t want to pay appropriate fees as our charges.
Earlier in his welcome address, Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Abdullahi Idris Garba, described the retreat as a collaboration which was crucial to the shared mission of improving the Nigerian aviation sector.
Represented by his deputy, Hon. Festus Akingbaso, the lawmaker said the engagement will equip participants in the areas of airspace management, and legislative oversight. “Our goal is to develop actionable plans a d reinforce priorities that enhance aviation safety, infrastructure and regulatory compliance, ” he added.
