By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
Despite a generous 30 per cent debt write-off, one Nigerian domestic airline still owes the Federal Government a staggering N14 billion, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has revealed, warning that the crushing debts are crippling the ability of aviation agencies to deliver critical services.
Keyamo dropped the bombshell during a recent interview on Channels Television, explaining that rather than clamp down hard on defaulting airlines, the Federal Government had chosen the path of leniency, granting debt relief and negotiating repayment plans in recognition of the harsh operating environment battering the aviation industry.
He noted that even after the government wrote off 30 per cent of the debts owed by operators, the balance remained enormous, particularly for the airline saddled with the N14 billion liability.
“On debt relief, operators are beginning to see the impact. We are not even moving hard on them because we tried to understand the situation, but right now, just like the way they say it, ‘eye on red’, just one of them is owing us N14 billion, and if you remove the 30 per cent the government gave, it’s still huge,” Keyamo said.
He lamented that the mounting debts had left aviation agencies unable to perform their statutory responsibilities, insisting that while the government sympathised with the airlines’ financial struggles, operators must equally honour their obligations.
“Because of all these things, agencies can no longer perform their functions. We understand their plight, but the government too must have these revenues. These things cannot be free; they want it to be free, but it can’t be free. We built their airports, provided navigational services, power, and all. We are trying to understand them instead of being hard,” he said.
The Minister disclosed that the government had summoned airline operators to a meeting and ordered them to submit structured repayment schedules, a move he said was already paying off.
“Recently, I called a meeting and told them to make a schedule on how to pay, and in the last three weeks or so, many of them paid 10 per cent of their debt, and they are beginning to pay the rest little by little,” he said.
Keyamo expressed optimism that the gradual repayment arrangement would restore the financial health of aviation agencies while giving airlines breathing room to recover from the economic headwinds battering their operations.
In the same interview, the minister turned to the mystery landing of a foreign-registered private jet on a bare concrete road near the Asaba Airport, branding the incident a serious security breach and disclosing that the pilots and crew remained locked up in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) as investigations raged on.
The incident, which occurred about a month ago, triggered widespread alarm after the aircraft touched down on an unfinished concrete road instead of the airport runway.
According to Keyamo, air traffic controllers had properly cleared the aircraft to land on the runway, but the pilot defied the instruction and veered off to land outside the airport perimeter altogether.
“The private jet incident was a security breach, and we are treating it as such. The pilots and crew are still in DSS custody, undergoing rigorous questioning to determine why they landed where they did,” he said.
He shot down suggestions that faulty navigational equipment at the airport was to blame, insisting the control tower carried out its duties professionally.
“The tower at Asaba asked if they were on approach and cleared them to land. But they refused to land on the runway. When controllers contacted them again, asking, ‘You are not on the runway, where are you?’ it became clear they had landed on a concrete road outside the airport,” he said.
What made the episode even more troubling, Keyamo said, was that the crew allegedly fled the scene before accident investigators could inspect the aircraft or question those on board.
“When you make such a serious mistake, you are expected to remain at the scene until accident investigators arrive. Instead, the crew took off again. That was when I contacted the Director-General of the DSS, and arrangements were made for the aircraft’s crew to be picked up immediately on arrival in Lagos,” he said.
He disclosed that the aircraft was registered not in Nigeria but in the United States, which explained why its pilot, aged over 70, was still active in the cockpit, since Nigerian regulations bar commercial pilots from flying beyond the age of 65.
He explained that foreign-registered aircraft operating under wet lease, dry lease or short-term lease arrangements often flew into Nigeria for limited periods before returning to their home base.
Keyamo, however, stressed that investigations remained ongoing to unravel the full circumstances surrounding the incident.
