TheCable

There are indications that a number of private jet owners in the country may lose their licenses for failure to regularise their documentation in conformity with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) operational status.

This is because the federal ministry of aviation has issued a 90-day ultimatum to private jet owners to streamline their operations with civil aviation regulations or risk being grounded.

This was disclosed by Alhaji Mohammed Abass, permanent secretary, ministry of aviation, at the conclusion of a meeting between the officials of the ministry and stakeholders in the general Aviation sector, which includes all the owners and operators of private jets.

“The use of these operators’ aircraft for commercial operations is at variance with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulation (NCAR), which is tantamount to gross violation,”Abass said through Fan Ndubuoke, spokesperson of the NCAA.

“All owners of foreign registered privately operated aircraft in the country who have failed to regularise their documentation in conformity with their operational status will face severe sanctions from the regulatory authority.

“As part of the unanimous decisions at the meeting, the blanket ban on the operators of foreign registered privately operated aircraft in the country has been lifted with conditions attached.

“As earlier indicated, the 90 days ultimatum is one of the conditions, during which it is expected that all operators would have regularised their documentation to specify their choice of operation. However, during this moratorium, it is still subsisting that no private Jet owner will be allowed to surreptitiously convert his jet for commercial purposes.”

The lease of Oritsejafor’s Canadian Bombardier Challenger 600, valued at about $25 million, to the Green Coast Produce Company Limited for the infamous $9.3milion arms deal in South Africa is one of such contraventions in question.

According to him, the sanctions will include grounding of operations, revocation of licence and outright seizure of aircraft forthwith.

The NCAA issued similar warning to all owners of foreign-registered, privately-operated aircraft in the country last week, while Osita Chidoka, minister of aviation last month lent his voice to the ban, saying it amounted to a breach of the industry laws, and also results in loss of revenue to the government.

A committee, set up by the minister over the issue recommended the revocation of a defaulting operator’s licence and having his aircraft impounded immediately. Thereafter, a mandatory payment of $100,000 fine would be required to secure the release of the aircraft.

With an average of 20 private jets plying domestic routes daily from the about 150 private jets in Nigeria, most private jet owners have continued to defy directives by the federal government prompting the ultimatum issued.

Some of the private jets in the Nigerian airspace include Bombardier Challenger 604, 605, Hawker Siddley 125-800 and 900XP, Gulfstream 450, 550 and 650, Global Express, Embracer Legacy and Falcons among others and they are regarded as some of the most expensive and the best jets in the market.

Nigeria has the highest number of private jet owners in Africa, such as Alhaji Aliko Dangote, chairman of Dangote Group; Mike Adenuga, chairman of Globcom; David Oyedepo, a bishop and founder of Living Faith Church; Ayo Oritsejafor, a pastor and president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).