THE House of Representatives has commenced moves to recover over $7bn allegedly owed to the Federation Account by some foreign airlines operating in the country since 2023.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, Abiodun Faleke, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja at the flag-off of the review of the 2023–2025 revenue monitoring exercise of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.
Faleke, who represents Ikeja Federal Constituency of Lagos State, expressed concern over the scale of indebtedness by both foreign and domestic airlines, following submissions made by FAAN’s Managing Director, Mrs Olubunmi Kuku.
Kuku told the committee that out of N25.86bn owed by airline operators in 2023, the agency recovered N8.08bn, representing 31.25 per cent, leaving an outstanding balance of N17.78bn. She did not provide details of recoveries made in 2025.
Documents submitted to the committee showed that out of an approved revenue target of N292.93bn for the period under review, FAAN generated N191.43bn, representing 65.35 per cent performance and a shortfall of N101.5bn.
The FAAN boss explained that the debts were owed by both foreign and domestic airlines, including moribund carriers. She added that the International Air Transport Association is responsible for remitting certain revenues accruing from foreign airlines, a process she said has contributed to delays in payments.
Lawmakers, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the explanations, especially against the backdrop of Nigeria’s rising public debt and continued foreign borrowing to finance the national budget. They also questioned the accounting framework used by the agency and pointed to inconsistencies in the revenue performance figures presented.
While reacting, Faleke said, “We are aware that when President Bola Tinubu took over, there was over $7bn owed in the international carriers. So, we want a full record of all your debts in 2023, 2024, and 2025. And when the call is made, those who are owing, we want to know them.
“The issue of passenger data is critical. Apart from this, we want to know how many airlines are actually coming to Nigeria. How many flights did you receive in 2023, 2024, and 2025? How many passengers? And I’m sure you have the manifests.”
He subsequently directed the FAAN management team to reappear before the committee with a comprehensive statement of indebtedness from 2023 to 2025, including detailed manifests of foreign and domestic airlines operating within the period under review.
Airlines operating in Nigeria are required to remit various statutory charges to the Federal Government through FAAN and other aviation agencies. These include landing and parking fees, passenger service charges, terminal navigation charges and other regulatory levies.
Over the years, however, concerns have persisted over delayed remittances and accumulation of debts by both local and international carriers.
Some domestic airlines that have ceased operations reportedly left behind significant unpaid obligations, while foreign airlines’ payments are often processed through international clearing systems coordinated by global aviation bodies.
The issue of outstanding payments has gained renewed attention amid intensified revenue oversight by the House Committee on Finance.
The committee has, in recent months, embarked on a broad revenue monitoring exercise targeting government agencies with a view to improving remittances into the Federation Account and reducing reliance on borrowing.
With Nigeria facing fiscal pressures and a widening budget deficit, lawmakers say plugging revenue leakages, including unpaid aviation charges, is critical to strengthening public finances and funding infrastructure development without resorting to excessive debt.