The federal government has directed the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to sanction any foreign carrier who breaches Nigerian laws by selling tickets in dollars.
The minister of aviation, Mr. Hadi Sirika, disclosed while briefing journalist after the weekly federal executive council held at the presidential villa, Abuja on Wednesday.
He said intelligence reports indicated that some of the airlines refused the naira and charged their ticket fares in dollars in violation of the nation’s laws.
The minister also said some of the airlines had blocked local travel agencies from accessing their websites for transactions.
He disclosed that foreign airlines made over $1.1 billion from Nigeria in 2016 which could have been retained in the country if they were local airlines.
Sirika recalled that the airlines remitted over $600 million to their home countries in 2016 while over $265 million has been released this year out of about $484 million due to them.
He said the government was trying to keep the airlines happy by ensuring that their money does not pile up again.
He said while the country needs the services of international carriers, the airlines need the Nigerian market.
Sirika warned them to refrain from using social media to press home their demands instead of resorting to diplomatic channels.
