NCAA inaugurates committee to drive down air travel costs, enforce ECOWAS aviation policy
Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority NCAA
Abdullateef Fowewe
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has inaugurated the National Air Transport Economic Oversight Committee (NATEOC) to coordinate Nigeria’s implementation of the ECOWAS common policy on aviation charges, taxes and fees.
A statement obtained from the NCAA on Thursday said the Director-General of Civil Aviation, Capt. Chris Najomo, inaugurated the committee at the Authority’s Corporate Headquarters in Abuja on October 14, 2026.
It described NATEOC as Nigeria’s primary national platform for assessing compliance, identifying implementation gaps, recommending policy adjustments and monitoring progress on regional aviation obligations.
“The Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA), Capt. Chris Najomo, has inaugurated the National Air Transport Economic Oversight Committee (NATEOC) to serve as Nigeria’s primary national coordinating platform to assess compliance, identify implementation gaps, recommend policy adjustments, and monitor progress towards fulfilling regional aviation policy obligations,” the statement said.
Capt. Najomo, represented at the inauguration by the Director of Air Transport Regulation, Olayinka Babaoye-Iriobe, said the committee would design an implementation roadmap, review compliance with legislative and regulatory measures, ensure publication in the national gazette, and collaborate with relevant regional institutions.
He said NATEOC must translate the provisions of the ECOWAS Supplementary Act into “practical, coordinated, and measurable national actions” in line with ICAO Doc 9082, the global standards document on airport and air navigation services charges.
“To achieve these goals, the committee must actively and constructively engage with key industry stakeholders, including local airline operators and the International Air Transport Association (IATA),” Najomo said.
The Director of Legal Services and Company Secretary, Mary Tufano-Eche, urged members to carefully examine the legislative and legal frameworks supporting the Supplementary Act to ensure seamless integration into Nigeria’s aviation framework.
She said the review should prevent “any legal friction with established ICAO documents and domestic regulations.”
The move follows the adoption by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government of Supplementary Act A/SA.2/12/24 at its 66th Ordinary Session in Abuja on December 15, 2024.
The Act establishes a common regional policy on aviation charges, taxes and fees across member states.
ECOWAS says the reform is intended to reduce prohibitive air travel costs, improve transparency in aviation services, strengthen economic oversight and promote competition in the West African air transport market.
The bloc has also said member states were expected, from January 1, 2026, to remove taxes applied to air transport and reduce passenger and security charges by 25 per cent.
Under ICAO Doc 9082, a charge is a levy meant specifically to recover the cost of providing civil aviation facilities and services, while a tax is intended to raise general government revenue.
The document also encourages non-discriminatory, transparent and consultative charging systems.
Multi-agency membership
NATEOC is a multi-agency committee with representatives from the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NCAA, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Nigeria Revenue Service and the Federal Ministry of Finance.
Its establishment signals Nigeria’s effort to align domestic aviation taxation and charging practices with ECOWAS rules, potentially lowering operating costs for airlines and ticket prices for travellers if fully implemented.
