By BOLAJI BUHARI

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) says it has not increased landing and parking charges for domestic and international airline operators in the nation’s airports.

Capt. Rabiu Yadudu, Managing Director, FAAN, made the clarification on Monday in Ikeja while speaking with journalists.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Yadudu spoke with newsmen after leading the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on an inspection of facilities at the new Murtala Muhammed International Airport Terminal.

Yadudu said a media report that FAAN had increased charges for airline operators was false, and it was not in the immediate plan of the agency to do so.

“The report is wrong and misleading; FAAN has not increased landing and parking charges.

“We have not increased landing and parking charges for international airline operators since 2002 and that was when tickets were going for N300, 000, not now that they are going for thousands of dollars.

“Domestic land and parking was last reviewed in 2012, when tickets were being sold for N6000; now tickets are being sold for N100, 000.

“Actually, there are more than enough reasons for FAAN to increase, because in 2012 tickets were going for between N6000 and N7000, and we have not reviewed since.

“It is important to caution that we need to be careful with what we read and those sending out the news should always cross check their facts.

“We do not enjoy coming out to refute disinformation; we do not enjoy it at all. The fact remains that we have not increased our charges and we do not plan to do it this year”, he said.

The FAAN Managing Director said if at all there was any plan by FAAN to review the charges, stakeholders in the aviation sector would be carried along on how to go about it.

He said the new MMIA terminal was part of Federal Government’s efforts to reposition the aviation sector and make passengers enjoy exciting travelling experience.

He thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for the project and all the others in airports across the country.

Yadudu added that the Buhari administration had demonstrated its commitment to improving the aviation sector with execution of new projects and revival of abandoned ones.

Also speaking, Capt. Musa Nuhu, Director-General, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), also said the report that new charges had been introduced in the aviation sector was misleading.

Nuhu said the NCAA had not increased charges in the last 10 years, even with justification to do so.

“I am not aware of any new charges and I have not authorised any increase in charges.

“The last time NCAA reviewed charges was 10 years ago because NCAA operates on a policy of costs recovery.

“We don’t charge people to make profits; what we charge is what we spend in providing services. That is what we charge to recover for those services.

“And you can imagine if you are charging N5,000 10 years ago, calculate the inflationary pressure and the devaluation of the naira, we are actually recovering costs, we are providing services to the industry at subsidised rate”, he said.

He, however, said there was the need to consider the review of the existing charges as the agency was in need of resources to continue to provide services.

Nuhu said NCAA depended on the revenue it was generating, and not the government, to provide services.

NAN reports that the minister, in company with aviation officials, had inspected facilities at the new terminal.

Mohammed, who expressed delight at the standard and quality of facilities at the terminal, said when fully operational, it would accommodate and process no fewer than 14 million passengers annually. (NAN)

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