The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has issued out a serious warning to foreign airlines operating in Nigeria to stop selling tickets in ordering currencies.
In a statement issued by the regulatory body yesterday, the foreign carriers are warned to. Desist from the act which it described as a flagrant contravention of Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) prerequisite guiding cost of products or services in Nigeria.
The NCAA referred to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) circular issued on 17th April, 2015, which directed that “Pricing of any product shall continue to be in Naira only and it is illegal to price or denominate the cost of any product or service (visible or invisible) in any foreign currency.”
The NCAA expressed worries by reports that some foreign airlines are declining to accept Nigeria’s local currency – the Naira as payment for tickets.
According to the regulatory body : “some foreign airlines have blatantly resorted to selling ticketsonly in foreign currency. This act is considered insensitive to passengers who have elected on their own volition to choose the airlines for their travel.
“This is also contrary to the provisions of the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and other countries as contained in Article 8 (4).
“As a consequence of this action, the regulatory authority has written warning letters to such erring airlines to immediately comply with the provisions of BASA and CBN directive. Sales of tickets and services should henceforth be offered to air travellers in Naira without further delay.
However, the Federal Government of Nigeria has taken measures to ameliorate the subsisting foreign exchange issues.”
and then