Nigerian government suspends helipad fee

The federal government has suspended the concessionaire’s collection of a $300 helicopter landing fee.

The Director of Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Aerospace Development, Mr. Odutayo Oluseyi, disclosed this in a statement in Lagos on Friday.

He said the collection of the levy had been suspended to allow the ministry to address the most pressing concerns of industry players.

Oluseyi said: “We wish to clarify the matter here by stating that the Minister, Mr Festus Keyamo (SAN), has temporarily suspended the project to further investigate the issues raised by stakeholders.

“Contrary to reports to the contrary, this suspension does not entail the revocation of the concession and mandate of the consultants responsible for collecting the tax.

“Instead, a comprehensive review is currently underway to address the issues and develop a forward-looking approach.

“A specially constituted committee comprising representatives of the Ministry, its relevant agencies, Nigeria’s airlines and the International Oil Companies (IOCs) is working to achieve this objective.

The spokesperson stressed that the main objective of the Committee is to develop a workable framework for implementing compliance with landing duty payments, thus ensuring a win-win situation for all parties involved.

“In this way, the industry can move forward in a spirit of cooperation and mutual understanding,” he added.

In April, the Ministry announced the helipad levy and gave NAEBI Dynamic Concept Limited the sole right to collect the levy.

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