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Home News Four Months After WAW’s Story, NCAA Bans Private Jet Owners From Commercial Flight Operations

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Four Months After WAW’s Story, NCAA Bans Private Jet Owners From Commercial Flight Operations

Mayowa DurosinmiMarch 14, 20241 Mins read774

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has revealed that 190 flights were cancelled and 5,225 delayed over a two-month period, showing concerns about the rising frequency of disruptions in the aviation sector.

Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has warned private jet owners with Permits for Non-Commercial Flights (PNCF) to desist from engaging in commercial flight operations or face stiff penalties.

In a press release on its official X handle Wednesday night, the Director of Public Affairs & Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, in Abuja, warned that holders of PNCF are not permitted to use NCAA’s aircraft to carry passengers’ cargo or mail for hire or reward (commercial operations or charter services).

This follows a series of reports by West Africa Weekly in the last four months. However, the NCAA has made it public knowledge that it is illegal to engage PNCF holders for commercial purposes while noting that NCAA officials have also been deployed to General Aviation Terminals (GAT) and private wings of the airports to monitor activities of the PNCF holders.

The statement in part reads:

In line with Section 32 (4) of the Civil Aviation Act 2022, the NCAA will not hesitate to initiate enforcement actions against any PNCF holder found guilty of illegal operations with suspension, withdrawal, or revocation of their Permit for Non-Commercial flight.

In its final warning, Achimugu reiterated the NCAA’s zero-tolerance stance on violations of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations 2023. “NCAA shall continue to enforce strict compliance by applying appropriate sanctions,” he added.

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu had earlier imposed a 50% mandatory tax return by the NCAA, a directive that challenges the NCAA’s autonomy and violates the Civil Aviation Act that established it as a self-sufficient entity.

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