The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has announced a significant increase in airline charges, with fees set to rise by 800 percent. The new charges will see the cost for extending hours of service jump from N50,000 to N450,000.
NAMA also revealed that en-route and terminal navigation charges will increase to N18,000 and N54,000 per flight, up from the previous rates of N2,000 and N6,000, respectively.
Umar Farouk, the Managing Director of NAMA, disclosed this during an interaction with the League of Airports and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) in Abuja on Friday. Farouk stated, “The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency relies on statutory fees for the management of the airspace. These funds are generated from services we provide to the flying community. Without these funds, NAMA can’t discharge its responsibility of ensuring the safety of our airspace effectively.”
He further explained that NAMA, despite recognizing the challenging economic environment for aviation in Nigeria, needs to increase its fees to continue operating efficiently. “Even though most costs in the economy have increased by more than 1,000 percent, NAMA has proposed to increase its fees by 800 percent. The new rates for en-route and terminal navigation charges are to be reviewed from N2,000 and N6,000 to N18,000 and N54,000 per flight. Also, the extension of hours of service is to be reviewed from N50,000 to N450,000 per extension to enable the agency to recover the cost of diesel and other logistics during the period of extension,” he said.
The increase in charges is expected to lead to higher domestic airfares, which currently range from N105,000 to N150,000 for the Abuja to Lagos route. International airfares, such as flights from Abuja to London, currently stand between N1.5 million and N1.63 million, and these too may see a rise.
