The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Aero Contractors, Capt. Ado Sanusi, has called on the Federal Government to withdraw the $300 helicopter landing fee imposed on shuttle services to oil and gas operators in Nigeria.
The controversial fee was introduced under the previous administration through a Federal Government approval granted to NAEBI Dynamic Concept Limited by the former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika. While the current Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, initially faced stiff resistance from operators, the payment burden was later shifted to oil and gas companies.
Last month, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) issued a directive insisting that the fee should be paid by oil and gas firms, threatening to stop issuing startups to helicopter operators if the payments were not made. However, oil and gas companies have largely ignored the directive.
Reacting to the situation, Sanusi argued that the company demanding the fee had not provided any service to justify cost recovery, noting that fees aligned with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) principles require prior investment that adds value to the customer.
“My stand has always been clear on this. That $300 fee is not part of ICAO charges for cost recovery because you must invest before recovering costs, and the investment must provide some value to the customer,” Sanusi said. “If they say there is an investment, they should bring it out and let Nigerians see it. You have not invested anything; you just put a levy, and you are not a government organisation with the authority to tax people.”
Sanusi, whose airline also operates oil and gas shuttle services, emphasised that while governments can impose taxes to build infrastructure, private firms cannot arbitrarily levy fees without providing commensurate services.
“By the Act establishing NAMA, they are the only providers of communication, navigation, and surveillance (CNS). So, what else is this company providing?” he queried.
Sanusi warned that allowing the $300 charge could open the door to further arbitrary levies in the future, saying, “If the government allows this, tomorrow another company will charge $500, and maybe next year someone else will demand $1,000 per landing.”
Other operators in the sector, speaking anonymously to avoid victimisation, described the charge as an “outright fraud” and a violation of ICAO rules, questioning its legality and purpose.
“It is illegal, unprecedented, and a clear violation of ICAO guidelines. It’s like asking someone to pay for parking in their own garage,” one operator stated, explaining that true landing charges are paid to owners of the facilities where helicopters land, such as FAAN or the Air Force, and not to private firms unauthorised to impose such fees on private facilities.
