Festus Keyamo, the minister of aviation and aerospace development has threatened to reject summer schedule of foreign airlines who refuse to patronize local caterers for onboard meals.
Keyamo made this known during a stakeholders meeting on ‘Transforming the Aviation Industry’ in Lagos on Friday.
The minister said he finds it sad that local caterers are not benefiting from windfalls of foreign airlines operating in Nigeria.
“I will not approve summer schedule for foreign airlines until they show me agreement showing they have partnered with our local caterers,” the minister said.
He insisted that the foreign airlines can choose to stop flying into Nigeria if they feel they cannot patronize local caterers.
Also speaking at the event, Keyamo announced that the North East will soon have an international airport.
He said the Maiduguri airport is currently being upgraded to become an international airport and this will serve as the first international airport at the North East.
Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha
Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers.
She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay.
She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos.
As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender.
She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies.
Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the
prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category.
She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category.
She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations.
Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.
