The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has stated that it is implementing stricter enforcement measures to further strengthen its cost recovery. The Director General of the CAA, Capt. Chris Najomo, represented by the Director, Operations, Licensing and Training, Capt. Donald Spiff stated this at a stakeholders’ retreat on Civil Aviation Cost Recovery and Revenue Optimisation held recently in Lagos.
The DGCAA called for full collaboration among airlines, regulators, Federal Inland Revenue Service and the Nigeria Customs Service and urged all industry players to embrace compliance and collective responsibility stating that “the CAA exists to regulate because airlines exist to operate.”
The DG stated that the CAA’s goal is “to tackle the growing burden of poor compliance by the airlines to financial regulatory standards and obligations to the NCAA” and in view of this the DG stated that the CAA is developing a proactive framework on “Advance Payment Guarantees (APG) for all airlines to enforce the zero debts strategy from 1st January, 2026.”
To further buttress this, Mr. Godwin Ameh, General Manager, Finance and Accounts, NCAA while delivering a keynote speech on behalf of Mr. Olufemi Odukoya, the Director of Finance and Accounts, NCAA, noted that the NCAA is empowered to charge on a cost recovery basis the 5% Ticket, Cargo, and Charter Sales Charge (TSC) that airlines pay today and emphasized that these charges are backed by the law.
Odukoya stated that it is not just about paying these charges but also “remitting it timely”, noting that for late or non-remittance of the 5% TSC includes directors of defaulting airlines could be fined “N5,000,000 or imprisonment for a term of two years or both.”
The DFA emphasized that the CAA goals of the CAA is to prevent debt accumulation and achieve the zero tolerance to debt goal and noted that the CAA intends to get “the collaboration of all stakeholders, activate enforcement and apply sanctions.”
The Stakeholders’ Retreat held under the theme ‘Strengthening Collaboration For Revenue Optimization And Operational Efficiency’ was attended by chief financial officers of Nigerian domestic and foreign airlines and representatives from Nigeria Custom Service, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).