The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, (NCAA) yesterday, granted a 90-day grace to private jets owners to come up with their operational preference.

It would be recalled that last week, NCAA, issued final warning to all owners of foreign registered, privately operated aircraft in the country who had failed to regularise their documentation in conformity with NCAA operational status, warning that they would face severe sanctions from the regulatory Authority if they fail to do so.

The ultimatum was given at the conclusion of a meeting between the officials of the Ministry of Aviation and the stakeholders in the General Aviation sector which warehouses all the owners and operators of private jets.

According to the General Manager, Public Affairs, NCAA, Fan Ndubuoke, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Aviation, Alhaji Mohammed Abass, gave the ultimatum after the meeting which lasted for several hours in Abuja.

Ndubuoke said, “As part of the unanimous decisions at the meeting, the blanket ban on the operators of foreign registered privately operated aircraft in the country has been lifted with conditions attached.

“As earlier indicated, the 90 days ultimatum is one of the conditions, during which it is expected that all operators would have regularise their documentation to specify their choice of operation.

“However, during this moratorium, it is still subsisting that no private Jet owner will be allowed to surreptitiously convert his jet for commercial purposes. At the end, it was agreed by all present at the meeting that any violator during the ultimatum and at expiry will be visited with much more stiffer penalties than earlier earmarked.”

•Adapted from a Vanguard report.

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