The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has warned airlines, particularly foreign ones, to desist from selling tickets in United States dollars.
The aviation regulatory body said the action is a flagrant contravention of Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) prerequisite guiding cost of products or services in Nigeria.
According to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) circular issued on 17th April 2015, it directs that “Pricing of any product shall continue to be in naira only and it is illegal to price or denominate the cost of any product or service (visible or invisible) in any foreign currency.”
A statement by the spokesman for the agency, Sam Adurogboye, stated that the NCAA was disturbed by reports that some foreign airlines are declining to accept Nigeria’s local currency – the naira – as payment for tickets.
According to him: “In other words, some foreign airlines have blatantly resorted to selling tickets only in foreign currency. This act is considered insensitive to passengers who have elected on their own volition to choose the airlines for their travel.”