The Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Olubunmi Kuku, has outlined sweeping plans to modernize Nigeria’s airports, expand infrastructure, and position the country as a major aviation transit hub in Africa, while stressing that private sector investment remains critical to achieving the goal.
Speaking on recent developments in the aviation sector and at the first quarter 2026 Business Breakfast Meeting of the Aviation Safety Roundtable Initiative (ASRTI), Kuku said Nigeria must urgently accelerate reforms and investments, particularly at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, to transform it into a safe and economically viable aviation hub.
Kuku emphasised the critical role of private sector participation, noting that government alone cannot finance the scale of upgrades required across the nation’s airports.
She explained that while discussions continue around concession models and institutional investments, delays and policy inconsistencies have discouraged both local and international investors in past attempts, slowing the pace of modernization efforts.
According to her, attracting private capital through Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) remains essential to expanding infrastructure, deploying modern technology, and strengthening operational capacity without placing excessive financial burden on government resources.
Kuku disclosed that several infrastructure projects are underway nationwide, including apron expansions, terminal upgrades, and redesign of passenger flow systems.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, ongoing works are focused on expanding aircraft parking capacity, redesigning passenger movement, and deploying modern baggage handling systems, alongside the installation of new boarding bridges.
She said Terminal 2 is being reconfigured to correct long-standing structural and operational challenges, including inefficient movement between drop-off points and departure halls.
Other improvements include upgrades to access roads, parking systems, and aircraft handling facilities.
The FAAN boss added that a transit facility linking terminals is currently under development to enable seamless passenger connections, while temporary terminals have been introduced to ease congestion during rehabilitation works.
New private terminal projects are also scheduled to commence in April 2026 as part of broader modernization efforts.
Despite these upgrades, she acknowledged that the current works alone will not immediately deliver a full-scale hub capable of handling 50 million passengers annually but represent an important foundation toward achieving that target.
Kuku said Nigeria’s long-term aviation strategy includes developing Lagos and Abuja as the country’s primary and secondary hub cities respectively. While Lagos is positioned as the main commercial aviation gateway, Abuja is expected to serve administrative and diplomatic travel needs.
She added that plans are underway to introduce additional fuel hubs, expand cargo operations, and improve airfield infrastructure to support increasing international traffic and strengthen regional connectivity.
According to her, Nigeria’s aviation market remains largely underutilised despite a population exceeding 220 million, with annual passenger traffic still below 20 million due to limited affordability and weak connectivity.
President of the Aviation Round Table (ART), Air Commodore Ademola Onitiju (rtd), advocated the adoption of a public-private partnership (PPP) model to accelerate aviation infrastructure development in Nigeria.
He stated that combining private-sector investment with government support remains the most viable approach to funding critical aviation projects. He emphasised the need for a new and modernized Murtala Muhammed International Airport designed to function as a regional and global hub capable of handling up to 30 million passengers annually and linking over 50 airlines to more than 100 cities worldwide.
He noted that the envisioned airport should integrate efficiency, advanced technology, and superior passenger experience, while maintaining a strong commitment to continuous maintenance, innovation, and expansion. He also stressed the importance of adopting an open skies policy to attract more international airlines, improve competition, and strengthen global connectivity.
During the policy advocacy session, the ART urged stakeholders to prioritise green aviation initiatives, including sustainable fuels and eco-friendly airport development.
Speaking on the sector’s economic value, Onitiju cited data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), indicating that aviation contributes between $1.7 billion and $2.5 billion annually to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and supports more than 216,000 jobs across direct, indirect, and induced employment. He added that aviation-linked tourism contributes about $454.1 million to the GDP.
Despite the sector’s contributions, he identified infrastructure gaps, operational constraints, and rising costs as major challenges limiting growth. He also noted that air transport activities remain heavily concentrated in Lagos (29%), Abuja (32%), and Port Harcourt (10.6%), accounting for more than 70% of the sector’s GDP contribution. Passenger traffic, he said, currently exceeds 16 million domestic and 3.5 million international passengers annually.
Onitiju commended aviation agency heads for ongoing reforms and expressed support for the planned refurbishment of the Lagos airport, describing the advocacy session as a platform to provide constructive input and ensure the project meets national expectations.
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