En route Charges: Supreme Court dismisses AON appeal

*Says NAMA is statutorily empowered to charge airlines
*we are vindicated and we urge airlines to pay up their debts-NAMA boss

Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) on Friday in Abuja secured a landmark victory over the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) as the Supreme Court in a unanimous judgment, dismissed its appeal over the payment of en route charges.

NAMA had in 2006 floored the domestic airline operators over the same issue at the Appeal Court in Lagos which declared that the airlines had no cogent reason not to pay for services rendered to them by the agency.A panel of five judges headed by Hon. Justice Mary Odili, while dismissing the appeal by AON, affirmed that NAMA is statutorily empowered to charge the domestic airlines on the controversial en route services like their foreign counterparts.

The court thereafter awarded a cost of N100, 000 in favour of NAMA.

NAMA on record loses an average of N500milllion accruable revenue annually following the refusal of the domestic carriers to honour
bills on enroute services as they often claimed to have "godfather's
right" to evade payment.Engr Mazi Nnamdi Udoh, the managing director of the agency, who was
elated by the judgment, attributed the legal victory to the agency's
firm belief in due process in tackling contentious issues like the
navigational charges.
''From the beginning of this case in 2006,we have chosen not to
disrupt the activities of the airlines, even when we the Appellant
Court in Lagos gave us the power to collect our charges.
''We were patient enough not to rock the boat and that is why we
followed it up to the Apex Court with the AON and today (Friday) the
panel of judges in a unanimous decision dismissed the appeal to our
favour.
''This victory is part of the transformation agenda of the federal
government and we really give kudos to the jurists who in their wisdom
delivered this landmark judgment for the aviation sector to move
forward'', Udoh remarked further.
The NAMA boss consequently appeal to the domestic carriers to commence
the process of liquidating their respective outstanding bills of more
than N4billion on the en route charges.
Engr. Udoh reminded the airlines that the agency has been consistent
in providing quality air navigation services, urging them to play
their own part by paying their bills regularly as free lunch is now
over.
NAMA boss added that the self sustaining agency requires a lot of
funds to run the system and create a peaceful industrial harmony
through training of personnel and regular payment of salary.

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