The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has suspended its proposed 800% increase in aircraft navigational charges, which was slated to become effective on September 1, 2024.
This decision was announced just days after the initial declaration of the increase, via NAMA’s official X (formerly Twitter) account on Monday.
The statement credited the intervention of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, as the key factor leading to the suspension. NAMA also indicated that further consultations will be conducted to address all concerns related to the proposed increase in navigational fees.
“Following the intervention of Festus Keyamo, NAMA has suspended the planned increase in navigational charges, which was set to take effect on September 1st due to the current economic situation. Further consultations will be conducted to address all concerns,” NAMA’s X post read.
The aviation community has welcomed this development, hoping for a more balanced approach to navigational fees in the future.
**Background Information**
The Managing Director of NAMA, Mr. Umar Farouk, initially announced the proposed 800% increase in aircraft navigation fees and charges during the 28th edition of the League of Aviation and Airport Correspondents (LAAC) Conference, held on Friday in Lagos. Farouk explained that the proposed increase, set to become effective on September 1, 2024, was necessary because the charges had not been reviewed since 2008. He emphasized that the increment was aligned with the current economic situation in the country, which has seen significant changes over the past 16 years.
Farouk proposed that en-route and terminal navigation charges be revised from N2,000 and N6,000 to N18,000 and N104,000 per flight, respectively. Additionally, he disclosed that the extension of service hours would be reviewed from N50,000 to N450,000 per extension, to enable the agency to recover the increasing costs of diesel and other logistics.
However, the proposed increase faced significant opposition from aviation stakeholders, including airline operators and the flying public. They expressed serious concerns about the substantial rise in operational costs and flight fares, fearing that such an increase would further escalate the cost of flying, especially during a period when the economic situation in the country is already challenging for many.
In response to the backlash, NAMA has now suspended the proposed increase in aircraft navigational charges. The aviation community views this move as a positive step towards balancing the operational efficiency of the aviation sector with the economic welfare of the flying public.
