Nigeria's aviation regulator has temporarily suspended its "no pay, no service" policy against airlines with unpaid bills. The NCAA made the announcement following consultations with industry players.
Chris Najomo, the NCAA's Director-General, signed the statement outlining the decision. He stressed that suspension doesn't mean the debts have been forgiven or waived.
Rising jet fuel costs have battered airline finances across the sector. The regulator cited these pressures when explaining why it needed to pause enforcement.
President Bola Tinubu had already approved a 30 percent discount on outstanding fees owed by domestic carriers to aviation agencies. This relief aims to steady the industry.
Najomo emphasized that affected airlines remain fully responsible for settling their statutory debts. NCAA will engage with each operator individually to recover outstanding amounts responsibly.
Airlines collect a five percent Ticket and Cargo Sales Charge on behalf of the entire aviation ecosystem. This isn't airline profit—it belongs to the system.
Once collected, these funds go to multiple institutions within aviation services. The NCAA receives a share for specific regulatory work it must perform.
"This charge is required by the Civil Aviation Act," Najomo explained to stakeholders. Airlines must remit these collections as custodians, not retain them as revenue.
The NCAA operates on a cost recovery model, according to Najomo. It receives no direct government funding for daily regulatory activities.
Statutory charges are therefore critical to maintaining oversight, he noted. Without these funds, the regulator cannot sustain its safety and compliance functions.
The temporary pause represents a balanced approach to sector stability. Officials say it keeps operations running while pursuing settlement negotiations.
Airlines with outstanding obligations should expect structured conversations with NCAA officials soon. Recovery efforts will prioritize both compliance and industry sustainability going forward.
