Helicopters for Sale in Nigeria

What Nigeria's helicopters actually do

Bristow Helicopters Nigeria runs Sikorsky S-92s out of Lagos and anchors the country's offshore crew-change flying to the Niger Delta fields. Caverton Helicopters covers the same mission from Port Harcourt's NAF Base apron, its Ozumba Sanni Heliport on Victoria Island, and outstations in Warri and Cameroon. Between them these two operators account for most of the rotary-wing hours flown in the country.

A smaller VIP and government-charter segment operates out of Lagos and Abuja, and a HEMS segment is just starting: Kasi Healthcare's Airbus H135-class order, announced at Airlift 2026, is Nigeria's first dedicated air-ambulance operator. None of this is stock for sale, it is context. It tells you which types have local pilots, local parts pipelines and local mechanics, and which do not.

Three bases matter if you are buying rather than only flying:

• Murtala Muhammed's General Aviation Terminal in Lagos, Bristow's home base
• Port Harcourt International plus the adjoining NAF Base, the main offshore staging point for the Niger Delta
• Nnamdi Azikiwe International in Abuja, for VIP, government charter and the emerging HEMS traffic

What your budget buys

Four tiers cover most of what changes hands in Nigeria, from a private piston trainer to an offshore-grade medium twin. Ranges below are pre-owned, as of the 2026 market.

For air ambulance work

If your interest is HEMS rather than oil-field crew-change, the Airbus H145 is the type behind Kasi Healthcare's order and prices around $5,500,000 - $7,000,000 pre-owned.

Registration, duty and VAT under the NCAA

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority issues the Certificate of Registration. Marks are 5N- followed by three letters. NCAA also runs periodic verification exercises against undocumented or improperly-imported private aircraft, so paperwork discipline matters even after the sale closes.

From 1 January 2026, the Nigeria Tax Act 2025 reimposed customs duty on imported aircraft and parts, ending the blanket exemption that previously applied to commercial-airline imports. A 7.5% VAT was reinstated on imported aircraft, parts and domestic tickets from the same date. ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme and Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme charges apply on top of duty and VAT even where an exemption exists elsewhere in the structure.

• 5N- registration issued by the NCAA, marks are 5N- plus three letters
• General customs duty of 5-35% depending on HS code
• 7.5% VAT reinstated on imported aircraft and parts from January 2026
• ETLS and CISS charges apply on top of duty and VAT
• Confirm your airframe's exact HS classification and any exemption with NCAA and Nigeria Customs before you sign

How buying through us works

1. Tell us your mission, offshore crew-change work, private or VIP flying, or HEMS, and your budget, over WhatsApp.
2. We shortlist airframes from our sourcing network, matched to the tier that fits, logbooks and damage history included up front.
3. You or your engineer runs a pre-purchase inspection. We can point you to the checks that matter most for that specific type.
4. We coordinate the NCAA paperwork, de-registration from the previous registry where applicable, and the new 5N- issuance.
5. Delivery, and on request an introduction to an NCAA-approved AMO for the first scheduled maintenance.

Once the aircraft is on the register, ongoing airworthiness runs through Nigeria's maintenance and MRO network, largely the in-house AMOs run by Bristow and Caverton themselves. For charter, operator and airport detail beyond the sale, see our Nigeria services hub. Buyers weighing Nigeria against another West African offshore market also look at helicopters for sale in Ghana. For the numbers behind ownership, our guides on importing a helicopter to Nigeria and what it costs to operate one here go deeper than this page can.