Meggison: How Debt Forced Airlines To Close Shop
- Alleges ex-minister cancelled prejudgment bills
Airlines such as Triax, Sosoliso, Air Nigeria, Premium Air Shuttle, Gas, Okada, Sahara, Oriental and Chanchangi among others, closed shop because of hostility meted out to them by government agencies in their bid to recover their debts, the Airline operators under the aegis of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has said. Chairman, AON, Capt. Noggie Meggison, disclosed this to woleshadare.net in Lagos.
He described the over N38 billion allegedly owed NAMAN8.08 billion, FAAN- N20 billion and the NCAA- N10 billion as phantom, saying such debt that does not exist.
His words: “Majority of these phantom debts is owed by airlines that are dead. Only airlines that are in operations can pay debts. If you deny services to the airlines, how do you expect them to operate and make money to pay up their bills in the first place? There are better ways of doing things.
Instead of forcing the airlines out of business by denying them access to fly or employing crude arm-twisting tactics, the agencies should be working closely with the airlines to reduce costs and make their operations more efficient.”
Besides, he stated that the inefficiencies of the agencies has done incalculable damage and caused death to several airlines by trying to stifle the few surviving ones to pay for their inefficiencies.
He explained that the purported N30 billion NAMA bills are two separate debts namely; that before the Supreme Court judgment and that after the Supreme Court judgment, stressing that most airlines that existed before the Supreme Court judgment are no longer in operation.
Meggison said that the operators strongly decry the on-going action by various government agencies in the aviation sector whereby they threaten to deny airlines services for their operations or completely ground them, as this is likely to force airlines out of business.
He noted that because of the economic hard times of today, airlines have become a soft target and are seen as a cash cow for everyone else to prey on easily.
He called on the agencies to realise that air transport is the engine of the economy, stressing that their effort at disturbing Nigerian airlines is capable of damaging President Muhammadu Buhari’s effort to restore the economy.
Penultimate week, the Federal Government directed its revenue recovery committee in the aviation industry to ensure the recovery of N8.08 billion owed the NAMA by airlines.
The effort seems to be paying off, as the committee has recovered N329 million in two months, as it intensifies efforts to recover more than half of the monies before the end of the year.
Aside airlines that are still in operation, many other airlines, including cargo and charter operators that have ceased operations, are also heavily indebted to the agencies.
The agencies are said to be carrying huge liability of over N40 billion pension, high cost of operation of manning virtually all the 24 airports across the nation and growing overhead.
Meggison said that the inefficiencies of the agencies had done incalculable damage and caused death to several airlines by trying to stifle the few surviving ones to pay for their inefficiencies.
He added that there is also the need for a consideration of the fact that a former Minister, Mrs. Fidelia Njeze, had intervened and cancelled the pre-judgment bills with respect to navigational and en-route charges, which is on record both with the Federal Ministry of Aviation and NAMA that it should be written off because the services were not provided.
Meggison, who is also the Managing Director of Jed Air, lamented that there is no place in the world domestic airlines pay enroute charges, asking why it should be different in Nigeria.
He averred that the total radar coverage and enroute navigation were not in operation in 2001, hinting that airlines were mandated by NCAA to use Global Positioning System (GPS) for navigation, which was independent of NAMA.
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