Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo has directed the temporary suspension of the enforcement and collection of Helicopter landing fees for two months.
This directive was issued following extensive deliberations at a meeting between the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil) sector, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri and Keyamo.
The oil industry representatives had raised concerns that continued enforcement of the statutory fee, as currently structured could potentially disrupt critical operations within the sector.
The meeting which was convened at instance of the Petroleum industry stakeholders who had come to raise concerns regarding the Helicopter landing fees prescribed by Nigeria Airspace Management Agency NAMA, for Helicopter operations conducted by international oil companies.
The fees applies to operations on oil Fields, terminals platform rigs, Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facilties, as well as Aerodromes used in the course of oil and gas operations.
Keyamo further announced that an inter-ministerial committe comprising representatives from the aviation and Petroleum sectors will be constituted immediately to examine the issues raised in detail and work towards an amicable resolution that will produce an acceptable framework for all stakeholders.
Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Minister of Aviation Tunde Moshood in a release say the two ministers reaffirmed the commitment of their Ministries to continue to collaborate in ensuring that regulatory policies support operational efficiency in both the aviation and Petroleum sectors which are critical pillars of Nigerian economy.
The delegation from the Petroleum sector included the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission NUPRC Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, as well as representatives of the International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in Nigeria, the Oil Producers, Trade Section (OPTS) and the Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG)
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development was joined by the out going Permanent Secretary Dr Yakubu Adam Kofarmata, the Managing Director of NAMA, Engr Umar Farouk, senior officials of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority NCAA and other key stakeholders in the aviation sector.
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