By Peter Adelowo
The House of Representatives has commenced moves to recover over seven billion dollars in outstanding debts allegedly owed by foreign airlines and other operators since 2023, as part of efforts to strengthen revenue accountability in the aviation sector.
Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, Rep. Abiodun James Faleke, made this known during the flag-off of the 2023–2025 revenue monitoring review of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria in Abuja.
He expressed concern over the level of indebtedness attributed to foreign and moribund airlines and called for comprehensive disclosure of all outstanding obligations.
Managing Director of FAAN, Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, informed lawmakers that of the N25.86 billion owed by airline operators in 2023, about N8.08 billion, representing 31.25 per cent, had been recovered, leaving N17.78 billion unpaid.
She attributed part of the delay in remittances by foreign airlines to processes involving the International Air Transport Association.
Documents presented to the committee showed that FAAN generated N191.4 billion in 2023 against an approved revenue target of N292.9 billion, reflecting a 65.35 per cent performance rate.
In 2024, the authority exceeded its revenue target, generating N387.8 billion against N371.4 billion approved, while in 2025, it generated N483.1 billion out of a budgeted N551.2 billion.
Significant portions of these revenues were deducted at source and remitted to the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
Lawmakers raised concerns about revenue shortfalls, accounting inconsistencies, and the impact of outstanding debts on national fiscal stability.
The committee directed FAAN to reappear with detailed financial statements covering 2023 to 2025, including a breakdown of debtor airlines, passenger traffic data, and flight operations records.
Policy analysts note that the recovery effort aligns with broader fiscal consolidation measures aimed at reducing reliance on borrowing and improving revenue mobilisation across government agencies, particularly in critical sectors such as aviation infrastructure and air transport services.
