AON Trustee Condemns $300 Helicopter Landing Fee

Trustee member of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) and President of Topbrass Aviation Limited, Captain Roland Iyayi, has joined the rising opposition to the newly introduced helicopter landing charges. The contentious $300 fee, now enforced on helicopter shuttle services operating for oil and gas firms, is raising alarm across the aviation sector.

The fee is being collected by NAEBI Dynamic Concept Limited on behalf of the Federal Government, in collaboration with the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA). However, this has triggered industry-wide condemnation due to the lack of corresponding service delivery or supporting infrastructure by NAEBI.

According to Captain Iyayi, helicopter operators have always complied with all regulatory tax obligations. He insists that this new fee imposes an unnecessary burden and lacks a clear legal basis. “With NAMA involved, there ought to be proper legislative and regulatory approval,” he stated.

He recalled that a similar initiative was proposed during the administration of former Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika. It was scrapped at the time, as stakeholders believed the industry was already grappling with excessive taxation. Iyayi said introducing this fee again would be inimical to the growth of the industry.

He further criticized the justification that the fee benefits the government. “Aviation earnings should be reinvested into aviation. But here, revenues leave the sector entirely,” Iyayi lamented. He warned that this diversion of funds could worsen the condition of aviation infrastructure, especially under the new tax regime where all government revenue first flows into the Nigerian Revenue Service (NRS) before redistribution.

Highlighting another major concern, he said NAEBI provides no infrastructure or visible services to justify the fee. “They’re leveraging NAMA’s infrastructure to bill helicopter operators. But in reality, these helicopters land at private terminals owned by their clients—mainly oil and gas firms,” he explained.

“How can you charge terminal owners for using their own platforms? This is bound to cause friction with the oil companies,” he said.

More importantly, Captain Iyayi raised a crucial point: many oil and gas ventures are joint partnerships with the government, often through the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC). In most of these, the government holds up to 60% equity. Thus, if the oil companies are required to pay the new helicopter landing charges, the government ends up taxing itself.

“This can lead to project disruptions. These companies work on strict budgets. Introducing arbitrary charges could lead to contract cancellations,” he warned. According to him, the eventual burden still falls on helicopter operators, who may suffer reduced contracts and revenue loss.

Iyayi believes the new charges are poorly considered and lack strategic insight. Instead of piling more levies on the sector, he urged authorities to reduce current tax burdens and reinvest aviation-generated funds into sector-specific infrastructure.

He also stressed that NAMA cannot unilaterally introduce new fees without going through National Assembly procedures. Even if assumed to have regulatory backing, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) should have conducted a detailed review before implementation.

“NAMA should first assess the possible impact of such fees on the industry. Imposing charges without due diligence or proper stakeholder consultation is unacceptable,” he stated. He warned that repeated tax impositions without transparent processes undermine the credibility of the regulatory framework.

Captain Iyayi’s remarks align with wider industry calls for a more thoughtful, consultative policy approach. Stakeholders believe that unless decisions like the helicopter landing charges are evaluated through proper legislative and impact assessment procedures, the industry could face avoidable setbacks.