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The Federal Government has suspended the enforcement and collection of helicopter landing fees for oil and gas operations for an initial period of two months.
This followed concerns raised by stakeholders in the petroleum industry.
The decision was announced after a meeting between the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in Nigeria, the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS), and the Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG).
Also present were officials from the aviation sector, including the outgoing Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Yakubu Adam Kofarmata, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Engr. Umar Farouk, and senior officials of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
Petroleum industry stakeholders had expressed concerns over the enforcement of helicopter landing fees prescribed by NAMA for helicopter operations carried out by International Oil Companies (IOCs).
Daily Trust reports that there has been a raging controversy over the $300 landing fees imposed on helicopter companies providing shuttle services to oil and gas operators in Nigeria.
The charges apply to helicopter operations at oil fields, terminals, platforms, rigs, Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facilities, as well as heliports, helipads, airstrips and aerodromes used for oil and gas activities.
However the stakeholders insist that enforcing the fee in its current form could disrupt critical oil and gas operations.
Following deliberations, the Minister of Aviation directed the temporary suspension of the enforcement and collection of the helicopter landing fees for two months, according to a statement by his media aide, Tunde Moshood.
The Minister, according to the statement, also announced that an inter-ministerial committee comprising representatives from both the aviation and petroleum sectors would be set up immediately to examine the concerns raised and work towards an amicable resolution that would produce an acceptable framework for all stakeholders.
Both ministers reaffirmed their commitment to collaboration between the aviation and petroleum sectors, noting that the industries remain critical pillars of the Nigerian economy.
