Private Jet Owners Get 30-Day Reprieve On Import Duties
2 min read
The Federal Government has granted private jet owners a 30-day extension to settle their import duties, rescinding its initial decision to ground 60 private jets over unpaid import duties.
The decision was made after the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) sent a letter to the Nigeria Airspace Management Authority (NAMA) requesting a 30-day window for debtors to clear their import duties.
According to Umar Farouk, acting Managing Director of NAMA, “We were supposed to ground the jets today (Monday) but we got another letter from customs requesting that the action be suspended for another month, maybe that is to allow for settlement”.
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This development comes after the NCS carried out a one-month verification exercise on all private jet owners in the country between June and July, which revealed that duties were not being paid on the majority of private jets currently in the country.
The NCS spokesperson, Abdullah Maiwada, confirmed the extension, stating that it was to further engage operators who had expressed willingness to regularize their import duties.
“The Nigeria Customs Service wishes to inform the general public, particularly operators of privately-owned aircraft, that the verification exercise for the recovery of import duties on illegally imported private aircraft has been extended by one month, from Monday, October 14, 2024, to Thursday, November 14, 2024.”
This latest development provides a temporary reprieve for private jet owners, who will now have an additional 30 days to settle their import duties and avoid having their jets grounded.
