Aviation, private jets owners have been handed a 120-day period to align their operations with the required regularisation policy.

This came after Aviation Minister, Osita Chidoka, shifted the deadline for owners to conform by a month, from an initial 90 days. Mr Chidoka extended the ultimatum, earlier given to revoke Flight Operations Clearance Certificate (FOCC) and Maintenance Clearance Certificate (MCC) of all foreign registered privately owned aircraft operating commercial charters, instead of their Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) authorization for private operations within Nigeria.

In a statement issued by the NCAA’s spokesman Mr Fan Ndubuoke, the authority stated that the 90 day proposition was in an effort to ensure that private jet owners come up with their operational preference in due time. “As earlier indicated, the 90 days ultimatum is one of the conditions, during which it is expected that all operators would have regularise their documentation to specify their choice of operation. However, during this moratorium, it is still subsisting that no private Jet owner will be allowed to surreptitiously convert his Jet for commercial purposes.”

The NCAA also said that the failure of owners to regularise documentation in conformity with their operational status will face severe sanctions.

New Telegraph also reported that the Minister said effective March 1, 2015, all foreign registered private category aircraft that are listed on the Operations Specifications (OpSpecs) Part G of some Air Operator Certificate (AOC) holders, must be removed from the status by NCAA.

As a result of this the aircraft operations will remain grounded, until the aviation authority approves a substitute operational status for the aircraft. This way it would be possible for them to run a legitimate commercial operation corresponding to the authority’s regulation.