The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has warned all airlines selling flight tickets in foreign currencies in Nigeria to desist from the practice forthwith.
The NCAA issued the warning
in a statement issued by its Acting General Manager, Public Relations, Sam
Adurogboye, in Lagos on Sunday.
The statement said the act
contravened the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, guidelines on the cost of
products or services in Nigeria.
“The CBN, via a circular
issued on April 17,2015, has directed that “pricing of any product shall
continue to be in naira only and it is illegal to price or denominate the cost
of any product or service (visible or invisible) in any foreign currency.
“The NCAA is disturbed by
reports that some foreign airlines are declining to accept Nigeria’s local
currency – the naira — as payment for tickets.
“In other words, some
foreign airlines have blatantly resorted to selling tickets only in foreign currency,”
it said.
According to the statement,
the act is considered insensitive to passengers who have elected on their own
volition to choose the airlines for their travel.
The statement said such act
also contravened the provisions of the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA)
between Nigeria and other countries as contained in Article 8 (4).
“As a consequence of this
action, the regulatory authority has written warning letters to such erring
airlines to immediately comply with the provisions of BASA and CBN directive.
“Sales of tickets and
services should henceforth be offered to air travellers in naira without
further delay,” it said.
The statement added that the
Federal Government had taken measures to ameliorate the subsisting foreign
exchange issues.
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