The warning is coming months after some helicopter operators in Nigeria accused the Nigeria Police Force of engaging in unapproved charter operations.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) says it would not hesitate to revoke or suspend the Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) of any operator found engaging in illegal charter operations.
The regulatory agency also warned members of the public not to patronise illegal operators, stating that in the case of a major incident or accident, the operator may not have insurance that covers all occupants of the aircraft.
The warning is coming months after some helicopter operators in Nigeria accused the Nigeria Police Force of engaging in unapproved charter operations.
Although the Police debunked the claim at the time, sources in the industry insisted that the authority and some private jet operators consistently engage in commercial operations to the detriment of approved operators.
A statement by Sam Adurogboye, the General Manager, Public Affairs, NCAA, on Sunday, noted that NCAA would not hesitate to sanction operators engaging in illegal activities henceforth.
NCAA also warned the public to desist from patronising such unapproved operators, stressing that holders of Air Transport Licence (ATL) and Airline Operating Permit (AOP) with valid AOCs were the only authorised operators to carry out charter operations in the industry.
He declared that the warning was in line with the NCAA statutory responsibilities of safeguarding the interest of the general public and that of investors in the aviation sector.
According to Adurogboye, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs) 2015 Part 18.2.3.1., reads in part: ‘No person shall use any aircraft in Nigeria for hire and reward in public transport category to provide non scheduled or charter air service unless such a person holds an ATL or Airline Operating Permit (AOP) issued by the Authority’.
He explained that for the purpose of verification and authentication, the list of current holders with appropriate authorisation to carry out charter operations was on the NCAA website.
“It therefore follows that any member of the public transacting business with any unauthorized operator will be doing so at a high risk as such operations may not have valid insurance cover. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority will continue to ensure strict compliance to safety regulations as violation(s) will be viewed seriously," he added.
Last November, some helicopter operators had raised the alarm over involvement of the Nigeria Police Force in operating charter operations with the choppers in their fleet. The helicopter operators alleged that the Police involved in the services illegally without the required permit for such operations.
Investigations by our correspondent had revealed that helicopter charter shuttles, for which commercial operators charge $105,000 were being allegedly carried out by the Police Air Wing for a paltry $30,000, thereby reducing the cost by $75,000.
A source close to scheduled operators confided in our correspondent that the involvement of Police Air Wing Helicopters in hire-and-reward operations was not only jeopardising the interest of commercial operators, which had proper permit, licences and approvals to carry out charter flights, but also constituted danger to the industry.
It was gathered that the Police helicopters operated between Kaduna and Abuja in 2017 during the Nnamdi Azikwe international Airport renovation. Police choppers are also said to operate at Gombe airport without insurance for their clients, which negated civil aviation regulations.
With their involvement, the chopper operators lamented that the Police was undercutting their market share and resulted in reduction of the cost of charter. The operators said that with this, the Police had brought down the cost of hiring to Bell Helicopters to a ridiculous 20 per cent the value of such flights.
They warned that such illegal operations by the Police Air Wing could push scheduled operators out of business if not quickly nipped in the bud.
It was gathered that the operators had complained of the purported illegal operations to the industry regulator, NCAA, to probe the infractions by the Police Air Wing.
A source close to commercial helicopter operators said though helicopters in the Police Air Wing are meant for government services under the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (NCAR), they are, however, allegedly being used for commercial services.