Lawmakers in Nigeria’s House of Representatives have ordered the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria to recover nearly N19 billion owed by foreign airlines operating in the country, raising concerns about the growing debt profile within the aviation sector.
The directive was issued during a session of the House Committee on Finance when the Managing Director of FAAN, Olubunmi Kuku, appeared before lawmakers as part of an ongoing revenue monitoring exercise.
During her presentation, Kuku disclosed that several international carriers collectively owe the agency about N18.98 billion in service charges processed through the International Air Transport Association settlement platform. She explained that airlines are expected to settle such charges within two weeks but noted that many operators have exceeded the payment window, with some debts outstanding for 30 days, 90 days and, in certain cases, more than a year.
The FAAN chief identified a number of airlines with significant outstanding balances, including Qatar Airways, Lufthansa, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, KLM, EgyptAir, Ethiopian Airlines, Air France, Royal Air Maroc, Turkish Airlines and Africa World Airlines.
According to her, Qatar Airways and Lufthansa each owe approximately N1.5 billion, while Virgin Atlantic has an outstanding balance of about N1.35 billion. She added that KLM, EgyptAir and Ethiopian Airlines each owe over N1 billion across various payment categories.
Other carriers such as Air France, Royal Air Maroc, Turkish Airlines and Africa World Airlines were also listed with outstanding balances ranging between N700 million and N1 billion.
Kuku explained that the debt figures represent “rolling balances,” meaning new charges can accumulate even as airlines gradually clear older obligations through the global clearing system operated by the International Air Transport Association. She added that the settlement structure sometimes introduces delays because payments are processed through a centralised international platform used widely in the aviation industry.
Lawmakers, however, questioned why airlines were allowed to accumulate such large liabilities despite the two-week settlement window. Members of the committee expressed concern that allowing operators to continue flying while carrying debts extending beyond 90 days or even a year could undermine revenue enforcement and accountability in the sector.
In response, the FAAN managing director said the agency closely monitors the ageing of airline debts and typically begins stricter engagement once liabilities exceed 30 days, with more serious interventions applied when balances surpass 90 days. She noted that FAAN has in some cases grounded domestic airlines that failed to meet their payment obligations, although international operators often fall under different credit arrangements linked to the global clearing system.
Despite the explanation, lawmakers insisted that stronger enforcement mechanisms must be introduced to prevent the continued accumulation of unpaid charges. The committee directed FAAN to submit detailed documentation and addresses of all airlines listed as debtors and warned that the operators could be summoned to appear before the House if they fail to clear their outstanding liabilities within the stipulated period.
