The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has expressed its readiness to implement stricter enforcement measures to confront the growing burden of poor compliance to financial regulatory standards and obligations by airlines.

According to a statement yesterday from NCAA’s Media Office in Abuja, the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Capt. Chris Najomo, gave this indication at the 2025 Civil Aviation Cost Recovery Optimization Stakeholders Retreat held in Lagos on Friday.

The theme of the retreat is: “Strengthening Collaboration for Revenue Optimization and Operational Efficiency”. Najomo, represented by the Director of Operations, Licensing and Training Standards (DOLTS), Capt.

Donald Spiff, in his speech, condemned the persistent failure of some airlines to meet their financial obligations, describing trend as a major threat to the sector’s stability.

He, therefore, disclosed that the NCAA would introduce a Zero Debt Strategy beginning January 2026, consisting of mandatory Advance Payment Guarantees (APG) from airlines to address rising indebtedness to the Authority.

This new framework, according to Capt. Najomo, will strengthen accountability, enhance operational efficiency, and ensure sustainable growth in line with the Federal Government’s economic agenda and the strategic initiatives of the Hon. Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo (SAN) in terms of revenue optimisation and the growth of the aviation sector.

The Programme was coordinated by the NCAA Directorate of Finance and Accounts (DFA) led by Mr Olufemi Odukoya, in collaboration with Javier Technologies Limited.