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The Federal
Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has said that it will continue
with the grounding of domestic carriers indebted to it as the week
progresses.

Explaining that
airline operators in Nigeria are not responding positively in paying up
their dues, the airports authority disclosed that it will not hesitate
to shut down the operations of persistent defaulters in the sector,
adding that the grounding of airlines negatively impact on the
travelling public.“They are responding but the response is not
impressive, which means if we are not satisfied during the week days,
we will strike again,” said Akin Olukunle, General Manager, Public
Affairs for the authority on Sunday, adding, “we don’t want to keep
shutting their operations for it affects the industry, it affects the
stakeholders particularly the passengers.”

Mr Olukunle
disclosed that the authority had to carry out a temporary halt on the
operations of some indigenous carriers at the weekend, as he noted that
the affected airlines have the choice to commence flight services as
soon as they clear their debts.“It was a temporary action on our part;
it’s just a suspension, so they can resume anytime as far as they come
and clear themselves with us,” he said.

According to
reports, FAAN during the early hours of Sunday suspended the operations
of Aero Contractors, Dana Airlines, Chanchangi and IRS Airlines over
their inability to pay up their debts to the authority.

The grounding of
airlines last Sunday by the Federal Airports Authority became the
fourth time the agency would halt operations of domestic carriers in
Nigeria over issues of negligence in the prompt and adequate payment of
their debts.The issue of airlines’ indebtedness to various agencies in
the sector has been brought before the Airline Operators of Nigeria on
several occasions, and the association, while pleading on behalf of its
members, had called on the carriers to comply. The perpetual debt and
adamant nature of some of the carriers made the Nigerian Airspace
Management Agency (NAMA), another regulator in the sector, to embark on
what it called pay-as-you-go for terminal navigational charges.

Mr Olukunle,
however, disclosed that the authority will keep dialoguing with the
airlines until a meaningful outcome is achieved.“We will give them
enough room so that this will not disrupt total operations and
passengers will not be affected, but we are pleading with the concerned
airlines to pay up so that we can improve our facilities,” he said.