FG suspends $300 helicopter landing fee for oil companies

The federal government has suspended the compulsory $300 helicopter landing fee for oil companies.

This was disclosed by Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, when he received Heineken Lokpobiri, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil) and a delegation from the oil and gas industry at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.

The delegation from the petroleum sector included Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), as well as representatives of the International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in Nigeria, the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS), and the Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG).

On the part of the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, the Honourable Minister was joined by the outgoing Yakubu Adam Kofarmata, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Umar Farouk, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), senior officials of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and other key stakeholders in the aviation sector.

The meeting was convened at the instance of the petroleum industry stakeholders who came to raise concerns regarding the enforcement of the helicopter landing fee prescribed by NAMA for helicopter operations conducted by the International Oil Companies.

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The fee applies to operations on oil fields, terminals, platforms, rigs, Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facilities, as well as heliports, helipads, airstrips, and aerodromes used in the course of oil and gas operations.

The oil industry representatives expressed concern that the continued enforcement of the statutory fee, as currently structured, could potentially disrupt critical operations within the sector.

Following extensive deliberations between both parties, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development directed the temporary suspension of the enforcement and collection of the helicopter landing fees for an initial period of two months.

The minister further announced that an inter-ministerial committee comprising representatives from the aviation and petroleum sectors will be constituted immediately to examine the issues raised in detail and work towards an amicable resolution that will produce an acceptable framework for all stakeholders.

The two ministers reaffirmed the commitment of their respective Ministries to continued collaboration in ensuring that regulatory policies support operational efficiency in both the aviation and petroleum sectors, which remain critical pillars of the Nigerian economy.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.