The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has formally requested the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to review the existing three-letter location code, “QRW,” assigned to Osubi Airport in Delta State.
According to Tunde Moshood, the Special Adviser to the Minister on Media and Communications who made this known in a press release, the Minister made the request in a letter addressed to IATA Area Manager for West and Central Africa, Dr. Samuel Fatokun, seeking the adoption of a code that more accurately reflects the airport’s official name and geographical location.
Osubi Airport, which has the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) four-letter location indicator DNSU, is physically located in Osubi town, near Warri, Delta State. Although it is sometimes informally referred to as Warri Airport because it serves the wider Warri metropolitan area, the Federal Government said its appropriate geographical designation is Osubi Airport.
Keyamo said the continued use of the IATA code QRW, which is associated with the broader Warri identity, does not adequately reflect the airport’s actual name and physical location.
The Federal Government has therefore asked IATA to initiate a formal review of the existing code and, subject to applicable IATA coding standards and availability, consider a three-letter code with a clearer connection to the name Osubi.
Among the possible alternatives suggested for consideration are OSU, OSB, SUB and QSB, although the final designation remains subject to IATA’s established coding procedures and availability.
According to the Minister, aligning the airport’s IATA code with its official name and physical location would strengthen its identity, reduce potential ambiguity for passengers and other stakeholders, and promote consistency across aviation, travel, ticketing, baggage and related information systems.
In a related directive, Keyamo ordered all airlines operating flights to and from the airport to ensure that flight tickets, luggage tags, boarding passes and other passenger-facing documents reflect the airport’s proper designation as Osubi, Delta State.
He also directed the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and other relevant aviation agencies to ensure that the correct designation is consistently reflected across their systems, records, publications and operational interfaces.
The Minister stressed that the clarification was intended to ensure geographical and operational accuracy, rather than create confusion over the airport’s role in serving the wider Warri metropolitan area.
He stated unequivocally: “Osubi is not Warri and Warri is not Osubi.”
The Federal Government said it remained committed to ensuring that Nigeria’s aviation infrastructure, locations and operational information are accurately represented in national and international aviation systems.
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