Private Jet Owners, Others Engage in Illegal Charter Operations, Task Force Alleges

Chinedu Eze

Highly placed Nigerians and others who own private jets illegally engage in commercial charter service against the status of their licence and contrary to industry regulations, the Ministerial Taskforce on Illegal Air Charter Operations and Related Matters, has revealed.
The task force, which uncovered a huge gap in the general aviation sub-sector in Nigeria, in a preliminary report, disclosed that most of the private jets in Nigeria have foreign registration while many others were used for illegal charter operations.

It also fingered high-net-worth individuals in the scandal, which had consistently put question mark on the adherence to regulations by the Private Non-Commercial Flight (PNCF).
The task force said this act had caused huge revenue loss to the federal government because the illegal charter operators do not pay the necessary levies paid by the commercial.

The committee, in its preliminary report, also alleged that the illicit act was not limited to small- time operators alone, stressing that the conditions attached to the issuance of the PNCF were grossly violated by the operators.
The report also lamented that the industry apex regulatory body, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), has also failed to enforce the conditions on PNCF to the private jet owners.
The task force also alleged that the violators of these licences, used a non-existing passenger manifest, which made it difficult to trace the passengers in the aircraft.

“We have indeed uncovered the prevalence of illegal air charter operations in the country. Even more alarming is the fact that we have uncovered that these illegal air charter operations are not only restricted to small-time operators, but also include some high-net-worth individuals, using their private jets.
“Opaque Passenger Manifesting, conflicting/inadequate regulatory issues. Most of the complicit aircraft are foreign registered removing them from the close scrutiny of the NCAA. This is a huge revenue loss to the coffers of the federal government.”

 The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo had on June 27, 2024, inaugurated the Taskforce on Illegal Air Charter Operations and other related matters.
This followed several complaints by legitimate commercial air charter operators and  disturbing security reports emanating from the country’s security institutions, alleging amongst other things, illicit money laundering and nefarious drug smuggling operations.
The task force was given three months to complete its report and submit the same to the ministry.

Keyamo accused the AOC holders of collecting “tolls”, while listing these illegal charter operators under their AOCs.
Few weeks earlier, the National Security Adviser (NSA) to President Bola Tinubu, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, had raised the alarm of money laundering, drug-trafficking and other illegal activities at the nation’s airports through the use of private jet operators in Nigeria’s aviation industry.