The Federal Government has warned it would to sanction foreign airlines selling tickets to Nigerians in dollars.
The government described such action as a violation of Nigerian laws, Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, disclosed this to State House Correspondents after the week’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.
The minister said findings at government disposal revealed that some of airlines are refusing the naira and were instead charging ticket fares in dollars.
He also alleged some other airlines have blocked local travel agencies from accessing their websites for ticketing transactions, choosing to release tickets to passengers at exorbitant rates.
He warned that no violator, no matter how highly placed, would be spared if caught breaching the order as the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had been mandated to clampdown on airlines violating the rights of Nigerians.
“I want to use this opportunity to say that reports are reaching us that some of the airlines are refusing to sell tickets in naira.
“That is a violation of our of local laws, they will not be allowed. The high and the mighty amongst them will be sanctioned, if they’re caught doing that. NCAA had been directed to swing into action and once we find any airline violating this, we will definitely deal with them.
Also, they blocked the travel agents from access. They also made only the expensive tickets available and so on so forth. Our regulators are not sleeping, we have a very vibrant Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. Once they find any airline guilty, that airline will be dealt with; we need to protect our people.”
Sirika said sales of tickets in local currency was the norm globally and that it was wrong for any airline to do business with Nigerian travellers in foreign currencies.
“…It is is according to international convention. So going forward, they should desist from doing things that are outside of the law. They should also desist from writing us and putting things in the social media. They should go through diplomatic channels if they want response from federal government.”
The minister said foreign airlines made over $1.1 billion from Nigeria in 2016 when the Muhammadu Buhari’s administration cleared the $600 million it inherited from previous government. He said if the amount was retained in the country through local airlines, it would have created jobs for citizens.
He said foreign airlines remitted over $600 million to their home countries in 2016, while over $265 million has been released this year to them, out of about $484 million due to them.
He said the government is trying to keep the airlines happy by ensuring that their money does not pile up again, saying while the country needs their services, the airlines equally need the Nigerian market.
