The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended the operation permits of 10 private jet operators over failure to undergo re-evaluation and engaging in illegal operations. The announcement was made in a statement signed by Mr Micheal Achimugu, Director, Public affairs and consumer Protection on Friday in Abuja.
The affected operators had their Permit for Non-commercial Flight (PNCF) suspended there by grounding their operations by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority.
This was after investigations that the operators were abusing the PNCF by using their jets for commercial flights or what is simply called in aviation parlance as hire and reward.
According to the statement, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations 2023 Part 18.3.4 forbids holders of PNCF from using their aircraft for CARRIAGE OF PASSENGERS, CARGO or MAIL for HIRE or REWARD (commercial operation or charter services).
Following the deliberate disregard of this rule, the NCAA had earlier directed all holders of Permit for Non-commercial Flight (PNCF) to “undergo re-evaluation which should have been concluded by the 19th of April 2024”. The NCAA had written.
The affected flight operators include:
· 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.
Mr Achimugu also notified the public 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.”
He also warned that officials of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority have been deployed to General Aviation Terminals (GAT) and private wings of the airports to monitor activities of the PNCF holders.
