Capt Chris Najomo, Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA) Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA
Capt Chris Najomo, Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA) of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has reiterated that suspension of the No Pay No Service policy does not in any way amounted to debt cancellation for the airlines and other operators in the Nigeria’s air transport industry.
A media statement signed by the DGCA, claimed that the decision to suspend the policy “follows extensive consultations within the sector and a careful review of current operating realities, particularly the rising cost of aviation fuel and its impact on airline operations and overall industry stability”.
The statement clarified thus; “this suspension does not represent a cancellation, waiver, or forgiveness of outstanding statutory financial obligations as such decision is beyond the purview of the Authority”.
Najomo warned that “All affected operators, therefore, remain fully responsible for the settlement of their statutory debts, and the NCAA will pursue structured engagements with airlines individually, to ensure recovery in a manner that supports both compliance and sector stability”.
He offered abridged tutorial to operators and members of the general public who might be bereft of statutory modalities of administering the deductons.
The number one aviator in Nigeria thus volunteered, “The 5% Ticket and Cargo Sales Charge is a statutory component of the aviation system in Nigeria required by the Civil Aviation Act, and embedded in the cost of air travel and cargo services. It must be emphasized that this charge is collected at the point of ticket and cargo sales by airlines on behalf of the aviation ecosystem, and is expected to be remitted to the NCAA for defined purposes.
He reminded the debtors that the 5% Ticket and Cargo Sales Charge “is not a part of operating profit or revenue for the collecting airline, and must therefore not be treated as such”.
The DGCA further explained, “these funds, after remitted, are not retained by a single institution; they are shared among the regulator (NCAA) and key aviation service providers which perform specific responsibilities that collectively sustain safe, efficient, and internationally compliant aviation operations”.
Within this structure, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority operates on a cost recovery basis and does not receive direct funding from the Federal Government for its day-to-day regulatory activities.
The funds derived from statutory charges are therefore not only essential, but critical, to sustain oversight functions.
The temporary suspension of the “no pay, no service” measure is a calibrated step aimed at maintaining operational stability within the sector while continued engagement is pursued toward full settlement of outstanding obligations.
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