[Business] Nigeria Revokes Erring Private Jet Owners' Licenses

Following the recommendation of a report on foreign-registered and privately-operated aircraft operating in Nigeria, FG has approved the revocation of the licences of private jet owners who contravened the private operations certificates issued to them by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority by using their aircraft for commercial purposes, Punch reports.

The report stated that after investigating the activities of all foreign-registered and privately-owned aircraft issued with the Flight Operations Clearance Certificate and Maintenance Clearance Certificate by the NCAA, some jet owners were discovered to be operating commercial charter flights instead of keeping to their “authorisation for private (not-for-hire or reward) operations within Nigeria.

It says 51 private jets operating under 27 operators are currently in the NCAA database.

“I have accepted the recommendation on the FOCC and MCC certificate holders that engage in commercial charter activities in contravention of the NCAA regulation. Therefore, we will revoke their FOCC and MCC; the NCAA should revoke them immediately and impose the penalty of $100,000 on those aircraft." Minister of Aviation, Mr. Osita Chidoka said.

“I have also accepted that from March 1, 2015, all foreign-registered, private category aircraft that are listed on the OpSpecs Part G of some AOC holders must be removed from that status by the NCAA. Consequently, the aircraft operations will remain grounded until the NCAA approves an alternative operational status for the aircraft.”

Chidoka directed the NCAA to review its regulations on the OpSpec issue and stressed that the ministry would not be intimated or frightened.