By Chinelo Obogo
The federal government has reinstated the controversial $300 helicopter landing levy, a move that is expected to reignite debate within Nigeria’s aviation and oil and gas sectors over operational costs and regulatory clarity. In a circular dated May 15, 2025, signed by Akut D.S., General Manager of Air Traffic Control Operations at the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), the contractor, NAEBI Dynamic Concepts Ltd, was directed to commence collection of the levy for all air navigation services of helicopter operators at oil company facilities, including rigs, terminals, helipads, and aerodromes. NAMA directed the firm to send an nvoice all affected companies immediately The levy which was initially introduced in 2023 was met with backlash from industry stakeholders, including the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), which argued that NAEBI lacked the legal mandate to justify the fee. AON said at the time that NAEBI’s role was limited to certifying privately owned helipads, questioning how this warranted charging operators $300 per landing.
In May 2024, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo suspended the levy, citing stakeholder concerns and established a review committee to evaluate its legality and implementation. The committee, comprising representatives from the ministry, NAMA, AON, international oil companies, and NAEBI, was tasked with submitting recommendations by June 2024.
NAMA had earlier attempted to reintroduce the levy in November 2023 during an aviation conference only to retract the announcement 24 hours later.
The ministry said that the levy aligns with the NAMA Act 2022, which mandates the agency to provide navigational services for aircraft operations.
However, critics argue the Act does not explicitly empower third-party consultants like NAEBI to collect such fees.
With the suspension now lifted, NAEBI will commence enforcement of the levy, though stakeholders anticipate more pushback.
However, the ministry has yet to publicly release the review committee’s findings that informed this decision.
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