Keyamo Sets One-Week Deadline for Airlines, Aviation Agencies on Debt Repayment Plans
By Cynthia Okere, Lagos
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has directed aviation agencies and airlines operating in Nigeria to work out realistic repayment plans for outstanding financial obligations within one week.
The directive followed an emergency stakeholders’ meeting convened by the minister to resolve the dispute between aviation unions and airline operators, which recently disrupted flight operations at some airports.
Under the agreement reached at the meeting, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and other aviation agencies are expected to obtain payment schedules from indebted airlines, with the repayment periods spread over reasonable timeframes that take into account airlines’ operating costs and prevailing economic conditions.
According to a statement attributed to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mahmud Adam Kambari, Directors of Finance and Accounts of the affected aviation agencies are to meet individually with the airlines and agree on workable repayment arrangements within the one-week deadline.
The intervention comes after aviation unions disrupted operations on Tuesday, August 11, in a dispute involving outstanding statutory charges and the unionisation of airline workers.
The unions had accused some airlines of failing to remit the statutory five per cent Ticket Sales Charge collected from passengers. Airline operators, however, maintained that they had been engaging with the NCAA over their obligations and complying with repayment directives from the regulator.
Air Peace, which was at the centre of the picketing, rejected claims that it owed ₦25 billion in statutory dues and maintained that it had been complying with NCAA directives concerning the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge.
Unionisation Dispute Also Addressed
Beyond the debt issue, the stakeholders also addressed disagreements over the right of airline employees to join trade unions.
Keyamo affirmed that workers have the right to decide whether or not they want to belong to a union, but said the decision must be made by the workers themselves rather than by airline management.
The NCAA was consequently directed to ensure that aviation unions are given direct access to airline employees for the purpose of distributing union membership forms.
Workers will then be allowed to indicate individually whether they wish to join the unions.
The ministry warned that airlines that prevent such direct engagement between unions and their employees could face sanctions from the NCAA.
Stakeholders to Review Agreement in One Month
The parties also agreed to reconvene in one month to assess compliance with the resolutions and review the state of industrial relations in the aviation sector.
The latest intervention is expected to provide a framework for aviation agencies to recover outstanding statutory obligations without imposing repayment conditions that could further strain domestic airlines already facing high operating costs.
It is also aimed at preventing another industrial dispute from disrupting passengers and scheduled flight operations.
Keyamo assured stakeholders of the Federal Government’s commitment to maintaining a safe and viable aviation industry, reiterating the administration’s position that the sector should remain safe, efficient, peaceful and sustainable.