FG Begins Clampdown on Erring Private Jet Operators Today

IN preparations towards the planned grounding of private jet operators who use their aircraft for commercial operations against the rules of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) from today, Monday, the Ministerial Committee on Aeronautical and Non-aeronautical charges in charge of the exercise will, this morning, begin verification of the jet operators.

The Nigerian Tribune gathered that the committee, which was headed by Mr Ahonsi Unuigbe, would commence interrogation of the private jet owners today to identify those who were still involved in the illegal hire and reward by the jet owners as against the NCAA rules.

The interrogation is to enable the committee to identify the jet operators who are yet to comply with the last Friday deadline and those who have regularised their operating licences within the last 72 hours.

In view of this, from today (Monday), any jet operator who fails to comply with the directive would be grounded with their operating license revoked by the regulator.

As at the time of filing this report, it was not certain if any of the 22 companies released by NCAA on Friday had complied with the directive.

Among the 22 private registered companies listed among those to be interrogated include: Air First, ANAP Business Jets, ATT Aviation Support Ltd, AVJET Corporation, BUA Group Limited, Chrome Air, Delmon Aviation./C&K, Dominion Air, EAN Aviation Limited and Executive Jets.

Others are Ferry Aviation Dev. Serv., Gitto Construzioni, Grenfact Ventures Ltd, Gyro Air limited, NAMCO Nig. Limited, Orlean Invest West Africa, Prime Air, Project Eagle Air Ltd, Southern Air, SWAT Technology Ltd, Tag Aviation Ltd and Toucan Aviation Support.

NCAA came up with the 22 names after a long hours meeting among its management staff at its headquarters at the Murtala Mohammed Airport, MMA, Lagos on Friday.

The minister of aviation, Osita Chidoka had at the launch of the Aviation Commits Initiative in Lagos last week threatened to ground private jet owners who engage in commercial operations in the country.

Chidoka revealed that at the moment, there were 90 foreign registered aircraft in the country with additional 111 Nigerian registered carriers currently in use in the system, stressing that some of them have deviated from their operational certificates.

He decried that their diversion from their operational certificates had led to loss of massive revenues to the federal government and urged them to regularise their papers before last Friday’s deadline

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