The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended the operations of ten private jet operators due to their failure to commence the recertification process as mandated by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations 2023.
According to a statement issued on Saturday by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, the affected operators disregarded the regulation specified in Part 18.3.4 of the 2023 Civil Aviation Regulations. This regulation prohibits holders of the Permit for Non-Commercial Flights (PNCF) from using their aircraft for the carriage of passengers, cargo, or mail for hire or reward, effectively banning commercial operations or charter services.
Achimugu stated, “As a result of flagrant disregard of this rule, the NCAA had earlier directed all holders of PNCF to undergo re-evaluation which should have been concluded by the 19th of April 2024.”
Consequently, the NCAA has suspended the PNCF of the following operators:
- Azikel Dredging Nigeria Ltd
- Bli-Aviation Safety Services
- Ferry Aviation Developments Ltd
- Matrix Energy Ltd
- Marrietta Management Services Ltd
- Worldwide Skypaths Services
- Mattini Airline Services Ltd
- Aero Lead Ltd
- Sky Bird Air Ltd
- Ezuma Jets Ltd
The NCAA emphasized that it will not hesitate to enforce actions against any PNCF holder found guilty of conducting illegal operations. “The public is hereby notified that it is illegal to engage PNCF holders for commercial purposes. The NCAA will not hesitate to initiate enforcement actions against any PNCF holder found guilty of illegal operations,” the statement added.
Furthermore, NCAA officials have been deployed to General Aviation Terminals (GAT) and private wings of airports to monitor the activities of PNCF holders and ensure compliance with the regulations.
