Upheaval in aviation sector as Nigerian govt threatens sanctions over flight tickets

Foreign airlines operating in the nation have been threatened with sanctions by the Federal Government for refusing to take naira as payment for tickets.

Hadi Sirika, the aviation minister, made the treat during a press conference held Wednesday following the Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.

He claimed that according to intelligence inputs, some airlines refused to sell in naira and instead charged ticket prices in dollars, in contravention of Nigerian laws.

The minister revealed that any of these airlines found breaking the law would be dealt with by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.

They were admonished by Sirika not to use social media to make demands but rather to use diplomatic channels.

The Minister claimed that since 2016, foreign airlines have earned over $1.1 billion from Nigeria, money that would have stayed in the nation if the airlines were domestic.

He added that the airlines transferred about $265 million this year, in addition to the over 600 million dollars they released to their home nations in 2016.

Sirika said, ”I want to use this opportunity to say that reports are reaching us that some of the airlines are refusing to sell tickets in naira. That is a violation of our of local laws, they will not be allowed.

”The high and the mighty amongst them will be sanctioned, if they’re caught doing that.

“NCAA had been directed to swing into action and once we find any airline violating this, we will definitely deal with them. Also, they blocked the travel agents from access.

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”They also made only the expensive tickets available and so on so forth.

“Our regulators are not sleeping, we have a very vibrant Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. Once they found any airline guilty, that airline will be dealt with because we need to protect our people.”

In August, the International Air Transportation Association revealed that as of July 2022, the Nigerian government was withholding $464m in revenues belonging to foreign airlines, disallowing repatriation.

However, the minister also urged the airlines to follow diplomatic channels to communicate their complaints to the FG rather than resort to social media.

“They should also desist from writing to us and putting things on social media. They should go through diplomatic channels if they want response from the federal government,” he warned.

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