Nigerian helicopter operators have threatened to shut down their operations in response to new charges imposed by the federal government through the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development.
There are also fears that the threat, if carried out, may lead to loss of 1.1 million barrels of oil daily by Nigeria, reports Saturday Independent.
This comes as an industry stakeholder questions the government’s $300 landing fee imposed on helicopter operators and challenges the government to show details of the contractual agreement.
Mr. Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, re-engaged NAEBI Dynamic Concept last month to collect charges from helicopter operators after the contract was cancelled in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Senator Hadi Sirika, the former Minister of Aviation, hired NAEIB Dynamic Concept in October 2022 to collect charges from over 250 helicopter platforms, oil rig platforms, airstrips, aerodromes, helipads, and Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FSPO) facilities across the country.
The government stated that the company would help plug leaks and increase revenue generation in the aviation sector, create job opportunities, and provide surveillance through the installation of mobile radar technology by the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency’s (NAMA) wide area multi-lateration project.
However, upon taking office, Keyamo cancelled the contract for allegedly collecting NAMA fees without proper oversight, putting aviation functions at risk, and promised to investigate the company.
However, according to a recent memo from Keyamo, helicopter operators must pay landing fees to NAEBI at all Nigerian aerodromes, helipads, airstrips, floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) units, floating storage and offloading (FSO) units, and other oil platforms.
In addition, in a television interview last week, Keyamo reversed his earlier statement about the contract and described it as a good deal. He admitted that he inherited the contract from his predecessor, but he had previously stated that helicopter operations were completely unregulated, costing the country millions and billions of dollars each year.
“As I previously stated, government is a continuum. This is a good deal; someone said, “Look, I can help you collect your helicopter fees.” It is a Public Private Partnership (PPP). They will deploy infrastructure and personnel on the ground, collect fees, and then remit to the federal government.
“Everything goes into the federation account, which is then remitted to the federal government, and they get their cut.”
However, helicopter operators have vowed to oppose the payment, threatening to ground their operations if the Federal Government proceeds with the landing fees.
In response to the issue, Capt. Ado Sanusi, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Aero Contractors, a company with fixed and rotary wings and a major player in the oil and gas sector, stated that helicopter operators may shut down operations or go to court over the new charges.
Sanusi insisted that the landing charge had no basis, claiming that operators pay for services rendered, whereas international oil companies own the helipads where helicopters land and take off in offshore operations and other locations.
He also refuted Keyamo’s claim that helicopter operations were unregulated, stating that they are fully regulated, just like any other aircraft operation in the country.
Also, a major industry stakeholder, who did not want his name published, described the $300 helicopter landing fee as a massive fraud.
The expert also challenged the ministry to reveal any industry in the world where such a charge is paid, questioning why operators should pay an additional fee for landing on their property after paying all necessary charges to NAMA.
Furthermore, the stakeholders questioned Keyamo about the process that led to the company’s appointment by the ministry and whether the contractor was building any infrastructure for the operators to warrant such a payment.
The source stated, “Companies should pay $300 even if they land on their property. Where does that happen anywhere in the world? frontier
