In an interview with journalists in Abuja at the World Aviation Forum, the Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika said the federal government would look into the high taxes charged airlines operating in the country in order to create a more friendly environment in the industry.
The Minister who was drawn to complaints by some participants at the Forum holding in Abuja, that airlines operating in Nigeria are faced with high taxes. Again, there were also complaints about the high cost of purchasing an air ticket for travel both within and outside Africa.
Sirika said the government had earlier set up a committee to review taxes against airlines operating in the country. Assuring that the taxes will be review downward at the end of the Committee’s work.
Similarly, Secretary General of African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), Mrs Iyabo Sosina stressed that Nigeria and other African countries would benefit hugely from the Yamoussoukro decision, which is open sky policy from Africa endorsed by African states since 1999 but yet to be implemented.
Sosina said it would open the door for the liberation of African sky, which would give a boost to air transport in the region with the attendant economic explosion and a huge growth in the continent’s GDP.
She said that “before now only 11 countries agreed to adopt the open sky policy, including Nigeria but as at last week the number of countries agreed to embrace the open sky policy had increased to 23. The implementation of the Yamoussoukro Decision would commence in January 2018” she stated.
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