Planes at airport
60 private jets to be grounded over improper import documentations
Indications are that the Federal Government, through the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), would ground over 60 private jets owned by high-profile individuals and companies in the country.
Indeed, an official correspondence by the NCS has been sent to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, to deny flight clearances until duties are paid.
The enforcement exercise, commencing today, follows a thorough verification process conducted between June and July this year.
The NCS has identified private jets that have evaded paying import duties, exploiting loopholes in the regulation.
The one-month verification exercise was used to identify imported private aircraft which without documentation and ensure maximum revenue collection. The exercise revealed that most private jets in the country have not paid import duties.
Among those grounded and without proper import documents are private jets belonging to prominent business moguls, bank chairmen, and executives, majority of whichare foreign-registered private jets owned by Nigerians.
Among the luxury aircraft on the list include Bombardier Challenger 604 CL-600-2B16, Bombardier Challenger 3500, Bombardier BD-700 Global 6000, Bombardier BD-700 Global 6500, Bombardier BD-700 Global 7500.
Each of the Bombardier BD-700 Global 7500 jets costs over $70 million, while the Global 6500 and 6000 versions cost over $50 million.
Eleven private jet owners have received notification of the grounding, while 55 others will receive their letters today.
About The Author
