By Victoria Onehi
The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), has urged stakeholders especially oil and gas operators to pay helicopter landing levies promptly for air navigation services rendered by the Agency within the Nigerian airspace.
The agency in a public announcement said the enforcement of helicopter landing levies aligns with Global Best Practices and is currently implemented across International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) member states in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
The statement reads in part:
” These levies are essential to sustaining the maintenance, upgrading, and acquisition of modern air navigation infrastructure, critical for the safe and efficient management of Nigeria’s airspace, particularly given the growing operations of drones, helicopters, and fixed-wing aircraft.”
” For the avoidance of doubt, the Agency wishes to reiterate as follows:
a) In accordance with the provisions of Sections 8 and 9 of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) Act, 2022, the Agency is exclusively empowered by law to provide and manage air navigation services and air traffic control for aircraft take-off and landing at all public and private aerodromes within Nigerian airspace.
“A person other than the Agency SHALL not provide air navigation services in respect of Nigerian airspace or any other airspace which Nigeria has responsibility to provide such services.
Sanctions will be applied to defaulting operators, including denying or withholding flight clearances to any operator until outstanding charges have been paid by the operator or a security or guarantee has been given to the satisfaction of the Agency for the payment of the charges or fees.
“As responsible and law-abiding international corporate entities, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) hereby calls on all affected oil companies to, within seven (7) days from the date of this publication, formally communicate to Naebi Dynamic Concepts Ltd their proposed payment plans and modalities for applicable air navigation levies. Failure to comply within the stipulated timeframe will trigger appropriate enforcement measures, including the denial of flight clearances for helicopter operations to Oil Fields, Terminals, Platforms, Rigs, Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) units, Helipads, Airstrips, and Aerodromes.”
“This action is undertaken not merely to enforce regulatory compliance, but to safeguard national security, enhance aviation safety, promote operational sustainability, and ensure the continued efficiency of Nigeria’s aviation ecosystem, all in alignment with international obligations and globally accepted best practices.”
