Nigeria is said to be one of the leading private jet markets, rivalling the US, UK and China as countries that top the list of bombardier aircraft orders — and things just got better. The Ministry of Transport has allotted about N258m ($1.3million) for the construction of a new terminal for private jet operations at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja.
As contained in the budget proposal, the ministry has allocated N173m ($868,473) for the construction of a General Aviation Terminal (GAT) at Wing D of the Abuja airport. Building the GAT for private jet operation will cost about N71.5m ($358,892), while N13.6m ($68,263) will be invested towards the rehabilitation of the fire station at the airport and a GAT protocol lounge.
The ministry has also put forward a plan to construct a new airline office at the airport for N66.5m ($82,819), while a new Accident and Rescue Centre will be built for N45m ($225,869).
The provision of non-scheduled flights services will go a long way in meeting the needs of both private jet owners and the Nigerian aviation industry as a whole. In 2013, over 20 Nigerian private jet operators embarked on an indefinite strike, following the imposition of a $3000 luxury tax by the country’s airspace management agency (NAMA).
Last year, owners were handed a 120-day period to align their operations with the required regularisation policy. In a statement issued by the spokesman of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Mr Fan Ndubuoke, the authority stated that the 90-day proposition was given in an effort to ensure that private jet owners come up with their operational preference in due time. As a result of this, aircraft operations were grounded in order for the aviation authority to approve a substitute operational status for the aircraft. That way, it would be possible for them to run a legitimate commercial operation corresponding to the authority’s regulation.
In the five years leading up to 2012, 120 private jets worth a total of $6.5 billion were imported into Nigeria, bringing the country’s private jet fleet to about 200 aircraft – almost 10 times the number of planes operated by Arik Air.
