Details of beneficiaries of the federal government palliatives to the aviation industry have shown what each sub-sector of the industry received as well as the deductions made to agencies in the industry to offset debts owed by debtor airline companies and others.
Information gathered by our correspondent in Lagos revealed that the beneficiaries include schedule and non-schedule airline operators, ground handling companies, aviation fuel marketers, travel agent firms under the umbrella body of NANTA as well as airports taxi operators.
The federal government’s magnanimity, which is coordinated by the Ministry of Aviation, was instituted to cushion the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the aviation sector.
Whilst some likened the amount to a drop of water in the ocean of challenges the industry is facing, others commended the gesture and urged government to release additional funds to the sector.
A breakdown of the figures showed that while scheduled operators got N3 billion of the sum, non-scheduled operators shared N1 billion among them.
While it is not yet clear how much went into the coffers of each airline, our reporter gathered that operational airlines got different amounts according to their size and debt profile.
Amounts received by the airlines ranges from N31 million, N50 million, N225 million and N500 million each.
The sum of N4, 995,999,999.90 was the actual amount released according to the report after a 5% deductions from all airlines indebted to service providers and regulatory agencies to the tune of N203, 999,990.95 making a total of N4, 796, 000,009.04.
The document showed that in the final analysis, scheduled operators got N3, 000, 000, 000 with 5% deductions for the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
FAAN got a lion share of the deductions at 50% and received N75, 000,000.03 just as both NAMA and NCAA got 25% deductions and were given N37, 500,000.01 and N37, 500,000.01 respectively.
In total, scheduled operators got N2, 849,999,999.95 having remitted the sum of N150, 000,000. 05 in debts.
Their counterparts in non-scheduled operations, which got a total of N1, 000, 000, 000 were left with a balance of N950, 000, 009.10 having been deducted the sum of N49, 999,990.90 to cover cost owed FAAN, NAMA and NCAA. The sum of N24,999,995.45 at 50% went the way of FAAN just as NAMA and NCAA similarly got N12, 499, 997.73 at 25% apiece.
Also, the sum N233, 333, 333.33 each went the way of ground handling companies, aviation fuel marketers and catering services in the industry.
The National Association of Travel Agencies (NANTA) were not left out of the bounty as they received a total of N196, 000,000.00 just as they also forfeited N4, 000, 000.00 deductions to agencies.
The last set of beneficiaries in the industry to receive the federal government fund was the Airport Car Hire Association of Nigeria (ACHAN), the body got the sum of N100, 000,000.0.
