NAMA Pushes For Review Of ₦11,000 Flight Fee
By OBIOMA TORI
THE Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has urged the Federal Government to approve an upward review of the ₦11,000 fee charged airlines per flight, describing the rate as outdated and unsustainable.
Director-General of NAMA, Farouk Umar, made the appeal during a retreat organised for members of the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation themed “Emerging Trends in Global Aviation: Sustainability, Technology and Digital Transformation.”
Umar explained that while airlines have significantly increased ticket fares over the years, the charge introduced in 2008 has remained stagnant.
“In 2008, NAMA was collecting ₦11,000 per flight. At the time, an economy ticket cost about ₦16,000. Today, the same ticket costs between ₦150,000 and ₦200,000, yet we are still collecting ₦11,000 for the entire flight from Lagos to Abuja,” he said.
He stressed that NAMA, which operates as a cost-recovery agency, has made huge investments in modern surveillance, landing, and communication systems to enhance aviation safety. Despite this, the fees have not been adjusted to reflect economic realities.
“We cannot continue this way. Airlines are aware but prefer to ignore the reality. We keep modernising to meet global standards, but we are still being paid peanuts,” Umar added.
Attempts to engage airline operators on the issue have so far yielded no progress.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Aviation, Abdullahi Garba, represented by his deputy Festus Akingbaso, said the retreat was aimed at fostering collaboration between legislators and stakeholders to strengthen Nigeria’s aviation sector.
