Kelvin Bowoto
Foreign airlines operating at Nigerian airports have questioned the Central Bank of Nigeria‘s (CBN) claim that it has fulfilled all pending backlogs of FX claims, asserting that more than $700 million in ticket income remains in the country.
The CBN announced in January that it had completed the payment of all validated claims by foreign airlines, including an additional $64.44 million to the affected airlines.
The central bank stated that the development had increased the overall verified amount paid to the air transport sector to $136.73 million, adding that “all verified airline claims had now been cleared.”
Also, on Wednesday, the apex bank cleared an extra $7 billion, effectively erasing a legacy debt.
However, despite the CBN’s declaration of genuine FX clearance, foreign airlines stated that more than $700 million of their ticket funds are still stranded in Nigeria.
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Kingsley Nwokoma, President of the Association of International Airlines and Representatives in Nigeria (AFARN), revealed that over $700 million belonging to international airlines remains stranded in the country.
According to him, if the CBN actually cleared the backlog of FX belonging to international airlines, they should provide proof of payment.
“This statement is similar to what they said the last time; if they say they cleared all forex backlog, including the foreign airlines’ backlog, it’s simple; all they have to do is show everyone evidence that the foreign airlines’ backlog has been paid.”
“However, it’s the same amount they paid.” They paid twice, and we are all aware that international airlines are still due more than $700 million. If they say they’ve cleared it, they should be transparent, which means they should tell us how much they paid to each sector,” Nwokoma said.
Techrectory with Agency Report.
