• Ministerial committee reviews disputed air navigation charges
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has announced that the $300 helicopter levy imposed for air navigational services will remain in force, following a ministerial review.
It also clarified that upstream petroleum operators will not pay the Terminal Navigational Charge (TNC) for landings at private offshore facilities and platforms.
The commission, in a circular dated August 28, 2026, said the decision followed concerns raised on behalf of upstream petroleum stakeholders over the introduction, structure and operationalisation of the helicopter levy.
The NUPRC, in the circular signed by its Commission Chief Executive, Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, therefore directed all upstream petroleum operators, licensees, lessees and their helicopter service providers to take note of the outcome of the review and align their contractual, invoicing and cost-recovery arrangements accordingly.
According to the NUPRC, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development had constituted a Ministerial Review Committee on March 9, 2026, comprising representatives of the commission, the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), as well as NAMA’s appointed collection consultant.
Following its review, the committee, it said, retained the levy of $300 per landing, which remains payable to NAMA through its approved collection mechanism.
However, the committee drew a distinction between the helicopter levy and the terminal navigational charge, ruling that the TNC would only apply where a helicopter lands at a government-owned aerodrome.
The commission stated that the charge would not apply to landings at private offshore facilities or platforms used in support of upstream petroleum operations.
It explained that the TNC would nevertheless remain applicable to helicopter operations outside the upstream petroleum sector, including medical evacuation, private charter and agricultural operations.
The NUPRC further stated that the helicopter levy would be treated as a statutory air navigation charge for cost reporting purposes, with the commission expected to subsequently communicate the applicable classification and reporting requirements to operators.
This, it said, would also include guidance on the treatment of any cost element previously recorded in relation to the TNC for upstream helicopter services.
The development is expected to provide greater clarity to oil and gas operators and their helicopter service providers over the costs associated with offshore aviation operations, particularly as companies review their contractual, invoicing and cost-recovery arrangements.
The circular also disclosed that NAMA would deploy low-altitude flight monitoring and surveillance systems as part of efforts to strengthen national security and airspace governance.
Under the arrangement, flight manifests, movement logs and offshore activity data would be required from relevant operators, although the NUPRC stressed that the requirements fell within NAMA’s statutory mandate and would be communicated directly by the airspace management agency.
Importantly, the ministerial committee also ruled that no new or revised fee, levy or charge with a direct impact on upstream petroleum operations should be introduced without prior consultation with the NUPRC and other relevant stakeholders.
The commission said the requirement was in line with Section 25 of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), 2021.
The clarification comes amid concerns by operators over the proliferation of charges and levies affecting petroleum operations, with the latest decision seeking to establish clearer boundaries between statutory aviation charges applicable to the upstream sector and those relating to other helicopter operations.