TO avert the looming crisis between airline operators and the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) over plans to introduce en-route navigational charges, the Federal Government has asked both parties to sheathe the sword.
At a meeting of all operators and parties concerned in the matter and presided over by the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr. Harold Demuren at the instance of the Ministry of Aviation in Lagos, the airlines were asked to withdraw the case against NAMA on charges from court with a view to settling the matter amicably.
Meanwhile, the airlines including foreign ones have asked the Federal Government to reduce its landing charges by 50 per cent to cushion the effect of the high oil prices crippling their businesses.
However, NAMA is to continue with collection of terminal navigational charges.
NAMA introduced the en-route charge in 2008 but was faulted by the airlines which resorted to court action. They described the new charge as a double taxation, but NAMA said the new billing system is in consonance with global practice and urged the airlines to comply.
The unit rate for en-route for international flights, according to NAMA, shall be $75 and N2000 for domestic flights. For terminal service charge of $3 is fixed as a unit rate for international flights while N250 unit rate is for domestic flights.
To arrive at the actual amount to be paid by the airlines, the unit rate, the weight factor and the distance are computed on monthly basis. Helicopters are not exempted from the new terminal charges.
The aviation agency had in 2008, under the management of Captain Ado Sanusi, as managing director, told airline representatives in Lagos that the new charges became necessary to improve quality of air navigation services in the country. NAMA on its part claims it loses N540 million annually due to non-payment of the en-route charges by the airlines.
As the matter raged, the Minister of Aviation was forced to douse the tension by ordering NAMA to allow the airlines more time to pay up.
Minister of Aviation, Fidelia Njeze said a strong bond should always exist between the airlines and the agencies as one is an integral part of the other.
After a series of meetings, she gave a three-year grace for the airlines to pay up their old debts, while ensuring they settle their current bills as they operate.
Quoting relevant legal and International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) documents to justify the introduction of the new air navigation charges, NAMA appealed to the airlines to support the management's effort in installing hi-tech navigational aids at airports across the country,
The managing director, who described relationship with the operators as symbiotic, had remarked that the new charges would bring about some significant changes in the quality of air traffic services in the nation's air space.
Domestic airlines were represented at the meeting by its chairman, Steve Mahonwu and secretary general, Muhammed Joji.
Source: Govt mediates NAMA, airlines face-off over enroute charges (http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=41910:govt-mediates-nama-airlines-face-off-over-enroute-charges-&catid=1:national&Itemid=559)