FG gives conditions for airlines to access palliatives

Ahead of the release of the Covid-19 pandemic palliatives intervention fund for the aviation industry as promised by the federal government, it disclosed on Wednesday that only functional airlines in the country would access the anticipated funds.

The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika had disclosed a N27 billion stimulus package for the aviation sector following the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry.

However, speaking at a webinar with aviation correspondents in Lagos Wednesday, Director- General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Musa Nuhu affirmed that irrespective of the number of airline operators that applies for the expected funds, it remains the policy of the Federal government to disburse it to airlines considered functional.

Nuhu bemoaned a situation where indigenous carriers single-handedly negotiate their flight operations into foreign countries without carrying the NCAA, the Ministry of Aviation and the Nigerian Embassies along only to return and complain of exploitative charges on those routes.

He affirmed that NCAA will protect Nigerian airlines from exploitative Aeropolitics and warned that Nigeria will reciprocate any charges on airlines from any country that exploit a Nigerian airline.

He said “Any airline can apply, whether functioning or not but it is a policy that participating airlines must be functioning and with an Air Operators Certificate. I also believe that the AON has its own rules and they know the criteria, I believe the AON will not put forward a non- functioning airline”, he said.

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