NCAA nabs private jet operator over charter services

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has apprehended a private jet operator for allegedly converting its aircraft to charter services.

Although details of the aircraft were not revealed, this happened days after some charter operators raised alarm over illegal operations by some private jet operators who allegedly converted their permits to commercial operations.

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Daily Trust reports that owners of private jets operate with a Permit for Non-Commercial Flight (PNCF); which implies that the operation is not to be used for “hire and reward”.

Revelations have emerged on how some private jet operators convert their aircraft to hire and reward without paying the necessary Passenger Service Charge (PSC) to the government.

The Director General of NCAA, Capt Musa Shuaibu Nuhu, Sunday confirmed to our correspondent the development, saying the operator had 30 days to appeal, and that a 60-day sanction had been slammed on it.

He, however, did not reveal the identity of the operator and the details of the aircraft, saying investigation was ongoing.

Commenting, Chairman of Westlink Airlines, Capt Ibrahim Mshelia, commended NCAA for apprehending the private jet operator who he stated denied government and the agency the required revenues and taxes.

Capt Mshelia, in a telephone interview said the regulatory agency needed the support of all in order to effectively sanitise the industry.

Mshelia, however, said the 60-day suspension and planned seizure of the operator’s PNCF was too little to deter others from engaging in such act, and therefore suggested that the regulatory agency should hand over such culprit to the security agencies for proper prosecution, insisting that such act was an economic crime against the state.

He, however, observed that NCAA’s action might be limited because of the civil aviation regulations, but declared that for proper cleansing of the sub-sector, it was proper for the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies to wade into the matter.

“The real truth is that there are powerful people behind all these illegal actions. If they are not, it would have been easy to flush them out. They want to live big. Some of these people are in a position to stop this in a minute, but they are involved in it. If we dig deeper, we will find them out.”