NAMA to ground debtor-foreign airlines

By Kenneth Ehigiator

LAGOS—The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), has threatened to ground the operations of foreign airlines owing it.

Its chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Baraje, however, said in Lagos that it would be lenient with domestic airlines owing it.

Baraje regretted that foreign airlines were owing NAMA debts running into millions of naira from navigational and en route charges.

According to him, it will be difficult for the agency to meet with its obligations to service-users if its money was not paid.

He said the agency was desirous in ensuring that its money was paid by the foreign airlines to enable it supply new equipment and maintain existing ones at the nation’s airports.

Baraje, who is also the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), declined to state how much the foreign airlines were owing, but added that their operations might be grounded until they pay up.

“We may have no choice but to ground the operations of these foreign carriers who make so much money here, but yet fail to pay up their debts,” he said.