By Charles Pemu 
The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has fiercely condemned the proposed $11.50 charge set to be implemented on all international air tickets from December 1, revealing a rift between government agencies over its origin and enforcement.
Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, spokesperson for AON and Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, disclosed that the controversial levy was initiated by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) but was announced and set to be enforced by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
Okonkwo, speaking to journalists, described the fee—part of an ongoing push for an Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) as an unnecessary and counterproductive burden on a sector already brought to its knees by multiple taxes.
The AON spokesperson lamented the growing number of charges imposed on carriers, arguing that multiple levies, taxes, and regulatory fees from various government agencies are severely weakening domestic airlines.
He highlighted the $11.50 fee as yet another example of policy inconsistency and poor inter-agency coordination.
“Aviation has turned into an elephant where lots of people are feeding on, and the operators are the ones doing the job,” Okonkwo stated.
He recalled the controversy surrounding a previous $20 security charge introduced some years ago, which was collected for years and allegedly kept in an account until a subsequent administration discovered and used the funds for other purposes, labeling such practices as “collecting money under a pretense… That is dubious.”
Questioning the justification, Okonkwo asked: “The $11.50 is coming from immigration… My question is, is that amount commensurate with what other people charge elsewhere? How does immigration play a security role?”
The AON warned that the cumulative effect of these fees will inevitably be passed on to passengers, leading to higher ticket prices and potentially making Nigeria a less attractive aviation hub for international travel.
Okonkwo appealed to the government for support, urging them to emulate developed nations by providing assistance to domestic carriers, including making single-digit interest loans accessible. He stressed that achieving President Bola Tinubu’s ambition of a $1 trillion economy is “unattainable without a thriving aviation sector.”