Customs Extends Deadline for Private Jet Verification Amid Ongoing Enforcement

The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has extended the deadline for the verification of private jets in the country, providing a one-month reprieve for owners to comply with import duty regulations. This extension comes as the NCS prepares to ground over 60 private jets today, October 14, 2024, due to unpaid import duties.

The verification exercise, which was initially conducted between June and July this year, aimed to ensure that all private jet owners had paid the necessary import duties. However, many private jet operators had not complied, prompting the NCS to extend the verification period until the 14th of next month.

The decision to extend the verification period is part of a broader effort by the NCS to recover billions of naira in unpaid import duties from private jet owners. The agency has discovered that many private jets operating in Nigeria have not been brought under the ambit of the law, with only a few having paid the required customs duties.

Despite the extension, the NCS has issued a Notice to Airmen and directed Air Traffic Control units to ground any non-compliant aircraft starting from October 14, 2024, until cleared by the NCS. This move is expected to generate significant revenue for the government and enhance transparency in flight operations.

Some private jet owners, including top bank chairmen and business moguls, have begun the process of settling the import duty to avoid the grounding of their aircraft. For instance, operators of a United States-registered Gulfstream G650ER jet belonging to a leading Nigerian bank have paid N5.3 billion in import duty to avoid the clampdown.

The Comptroller General of the NCS, Adewale Adeniyi, emphasized that the verification exercise was necessary because many private jets were operating outside the law. He noted that international aviation regulations require private jets used within Nigeria to pay import duty, and the NCS is determined to enforce this regulation.