FG begins collection of helicopter landing levy, deploys 151 officers

No fewer than 151 helicopter monitoring officers (HMOs) have been deployed to various airports across the country to collect landing levy on behalf of the federal government.

The new levy introduced by the federal government was aimed at shoring up revenue on one hand and improving the security of the country’s airspace through effective monitoring of helicopter movement.

The second batch of the HMOs was inaugurated at the Port Harcourt International Airport by the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, who was represented by the Director of Human Resources of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Norris Anozie.

Naebi Dynamic Concepts Limited, the firm handling the levy collection as a receiver-manager on behalf of the government during the inauguration of the second batch trainees of helicopter monitoring officers, disclosed that 200 officers with all the necessary certifications had been trained, while 151 were deployed.

The managing director of the firm, Mr Stanley Chike, noted that the initiative would provide accurate data of helicopters’ movement in the country’s airspace.

“We are all aware that we still have some security challenges within our navigational airways, as well as revenue loss within the subsector,” he said.

Chike disclosed that the firm was working with the relevant agencies, including the FAAN and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) for the effectiveness of its operation.

He urged the federal government to enforce a ‘no flight permit’ to operators owing landing levies, saying some operators still refuse to comply despite being issued a notice.