Operators of airlines in Nigeria under the aegis of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) on Thursday asked the federal government to review 54 different charges airlines currently pay if domestic airlines are to survive in the country.
They affirmed that the various charges are among the highest across the globe thus constituting barriers to the growth and sustainability of airline businesses in Nigeria.
Vice Chairman of the AON, Mr. Allen Onyema who spoke as Keynote Speaker at the 30th annual conference of the League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) in Lagos, said “the charges have become a significant barrier to the profitability and competitiveness of Nigerian carriers both domestically and internationally.”
Speaking on the theme “Towards a Sustainable Aviation Industry: Balancing government revenue demands with sector growth “, Mr. Onyema who is also the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace affirmed that “One thing I want to mention is that there are many charges. If I were to list them, there are about 54 that airlines pay. Even for international flights, it’s the same. I remember when ECOWAS came together.”
He said that “Even our president signed a treaty on behalf of ECOWAS calling for a 25% reduction in taxes across West Africa. That has not been implemented anywhere yet. But one thing I must say is that I’m certain any day President Bola Tinubu sees us, if they allow us to see him, because I know he wants to meet with us, that will be the day there will be a revolution in the airline industry in this country. Because that man supports indigenous businesses. He does.”
