FAAN, NCAA deny increasing airport charges

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has denied increasing the landing and parking charges for domestic and international airline operators in the nation’s airports.

The FAAN Managing Director, Capt. Rabiu Yadudu, made the clarification in a chat with journalists at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Monday.

The FAAN chief spoke with journalists after leading the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on an inspection of facilities at the airport’s new terminal.

He described as false reports that FAAN had increased charges for airline operators.

Yuguda said: “The report is wrong and misleading; FAAN has not increased landing and parking charges.

“We have not increased landing and parking charges for international airline operators since 2002 and that was when tickets were going for N300,000, not now that they are going for thousands of dollars.

“Domestic land and parking were last reviewed in 2012 when tickets were being sold for N6000; now tickets are being sold for N100,000.

“Actually, there are more than enough reasons for FAAN to increase, because in 2012 tickets were going for between N6000 and N7000, and we have not reviewed them since.

READ ALSO: Flight delays expected as FAAN to close Lagos airport runway for 90 days

“It is important to caution that we need to be careful with what we read and those sending out the news should always cross check their facts.

“We do not enjoy coming out to refute disinformation, we do not enjoy it at all.The fact remains that we have not increased our charges and we do not plan to do it this year.”

The Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Musa Nuhu, who was also on the delegation, said reports on the introduction of new charges in the aviation sector were misleading.

Nuhu said the NCAA had not increased charges in the last 10 years.

He said: “I am not aware of any new charges and I have not authorised any increase in charges.

“The last time the NCAA reviewed charges was 10 years ago because the NCAA operates on a policy of costs recovery.

“We don’t charge people to make profits; what we charge is what we spend on providing services .That is what we charge to recover for those services.”

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