NCAA suspends licenses of three private jet owners for commercial operations

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended the licenses of three private jet owners for conducting commercial operations.

The Acting Director NCAA Captain Chris Najomo announced the suspension in a video press release poster on the official X handle of the authority. 

You would recall that NCAA issued a warning to holders of Permit for Non-Commercial Flight (PNCF) (private jet owners) to desist from engaging in commercial flight operations or face stiff penalties.

They stressed that holders of PNCF are not permitted to use their aircraft for carriage of passengers cargo or mail for hire or reward (commercial operations or charter services).

Names of the owners were not disclosed. 

He said to ensure compliance with the directives, the authority deployed its officials to monitor the activities of private jets at terminals across the airports in Nigeria and as a consequence of this heightened surveillance.

Najomo said the three private operators involved violated the annexure provision of their PNCF and Part 9114 of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations.

He said: "In line with our zero tolerance for violation of regulations, the Authority has suspended the PNCF of these operators. To further sanitize the general aviation sector, I have directed a re-evaluation of all holders of PNCF be carried out on or before the 19th of April 2024 to ascertain compliance with regulatory requirements.”

Najomo added that all "PNCF holders must submit relevant documents to the authority within the next 72 hours."

"This riot act is also directed at existing Air Operator Certificate (AOC) holders, who utilize aircraft listed on their PNCF for commercial charter operations.

"It must be emphasized that only aircraft listed in the operation specifications of the AOC are authorized to be used in the provision of such charter services. Any of those AOC holders who wish to use the aircraft for charter operations must apply to the NCAA to delist the affected aircraft from the PNCF and include it in the AOC operations specification."

NCAA urged travelers not to patronize any airline charter operator who does not hold a valid Air Operators Certificate issued by the NCAA when they wish to procure charter operations services.

He disclosed that the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, in 2023 gave a marching order to the NCAA to clampdown on the use of private jets for commercial purposes.

Subsequently, in March 2024, the NCAA warned holders of the Permit For Non- Commercial Flights, PNCF, against engaging in the carriage of passenger-cargo or mail for hire and reward.

NCAA encouraged the legitimate players in the aviation industry to report the activity of such unscrupulous elements for necessary action.