Capt. Ado Sanusi, the Managing Director of Aero Contractors, has called on the Federal Government to cancel the $300 landing fee charged to helicopter operators that provide shuttle services to oil and gas companies.

The fee, introduced during the Buhari administration and awarded to NAEBI Dynamic Concept Limited, has been met with stiff resistance. Current Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo attempted to enforce the charge but shifted the burden from helicopter operators to oil companies following pushback.

Despite a directive from the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) supporting the charge, oil companies have refused to pay. NAMA has since warned it could withhold startup clearances for helicopter operators unless the fee is settled.

Sanusi argued that the fee lacks merit since no services or infrastructure—such as communication, navigation, or surveillance—have been provided by the collecting company. He said fees must be backed by investment that delivers value, as required by global aviation standards like those of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

“If there’s any claim of investment, let them present evidence to the public. You can’t just impose levies without offering any service in return,” he stated.

Other industry players, speaking anonymously, labeled the fee as illegal and exploitative. One compared it to being forced to pay for parking in your own garage, insisting that landing fees are typically paid to facility owners like FAAN or the military—not to a private firm with no operational infrastructure.

Sanusi, who once headed NAMA, warned that allowing such charges could open the door to even higher and more arbitrary fees in the future. He emphasized that while government can levy taxes to develop public infrastructure, such taxes must be transparent and beneficial—not baseless levies with no justification.