The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) may soon withdraw security, fire-fighting and rescue services from some state and private airports over indebtedness running into billions of naira, Daily Trust has learnt.
It was gathered that the authority had given the affected airports the final one-week ultimatum to pay up their debt or else its services would be withdrawn.
This follows a breakdown of talks between the FAAN management and operators of the debtor-aerodromes.
It would be recalled that FAAN had issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) in December 2018 to withdraw its services from Osubi airstrip, Gombe and MMA2 but the action was called off following an agreement by the operators to pay up their debt.
At the time, Arik Air had announced suspension of its flights to Gombe and Warri ahead of the planned shutdown of the airports before the decision was rescinded.
But FAAN had issued another one-week ultimatum with effect from today and the affected airports may be shut down unless a compromise was reached by the parties.
In a ‘Notice of Intention to Implement Sanctions Against Private/State Owned Airports Indebted to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria’, FAAN gave the affected operators till Tuesday April 30 “to settle all outstanding debts.”
“The authority shall be constrained to commence the implementation of sanctions at the expiration of this notice if the organisations fail or refuse to pay up, as advised,” the authority said.
It warned private airport operators that “the services of our Aviation Security and Aerodrome Rescue and Fire Fighting personnel will no longer be available for the operations of their airports with effect from Wednesday 1st May, 2019 as the authority can no longer keep these personnel at the airports working without payment.”
