Nigeria completes talks with top aircraft maker to modernise fleets

Nigeria has concluded a series of strategic engagements with the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers as the federal government steps up efforts to modernise airline fleets, improve access to aircraft financing and strengthen the competitiveness of indigenous carriers.

The latest engagement saw Festus Keyamo, the minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development lead a delegation of Nigerian airline operators and aviation officials on a working visit to Bombardier’s Laurent Beaudoin Completion Centre in Montréal, Canada, completing an outreach programme that has also included Boeing, Airbus and Embraer.

 

 

The initiative forms part of the Federal Government’s aviation reform agenda aimed at supporting fleet renewal, expanding technical cooperation, strengthening maintenance capabilities and positioning Nigeria as a leading aviation hub on the continent.

 

 

According to a statement issued on Thursday by Tunde Moshood, special adviser on media and communications to the minister, the ministry said the visit fulfilled a commitment made by Keyamo shortly after assuming office in 2023 to establish direct relationships between Nigerian airline operators and major aircraft Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).

 

 

Speaking during the visit, the minister said the government’s objective was to create opportunities that would strengthen indigenous airline capacity and improve the long-term sustainability of Nigeria’s aviation industry.

 

 

“Our objective has always been clear, to connect Nigerian operators directly with the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers and create opportunities that will strengthen indigenous capacity, modernise our fleets, improve safety, enhance operational efficiency, and ensure the long-term sustainability of our aviation industry,” Keyamo said.

 

 

Bombardier, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of business aircraft, produces the Challenger and Global series of executive jets and provides aircraft completion, maintenance, technical training and aftermarket support.

 

 

During the visit, the Nigerian delegation toured the company’s manufacturing and aircraft completion facilities and received briefings on maintenance support systems, pilot and engineering training programmes, digital technologies, aftermarket services and aircraft acquisition solutions.

 

 

The Federal Government said the engagement is expected to open new opportunities for collaboration in fleet modernisation, Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) services, engineering support, technical capacity development, aviation training and aerospace technology transfer.

 

 

Stakeholders have long identified limited access to aircraft financing, an ageing fleet, inadequate local maintenance capacity and foreign exchange constraints as major challenges affecting the growth and profitability of Nigerian airlines.

 

 

By establishing direct relationships with aircraft manufacturers, financiers and lessors, the government hopes to improve access to newer, safer and more fuel-efficient aircraft while reducing operational costs and strengthening the sector’s competitiveness.

 

 

The ministry said the completion of engagements with Boeing, Airbus, Embraer and Bombardier underscores the Tinubu administration’s strategy of leveraging international partnerships and private sector collaboration to reposition Nigeria as Africa’s preferred aviation hub.

 

 

According to the statement the Nigerian delegation included Chris Najomo, the Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Olubunmi Kuku, Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mahmoud Sani, Nigeria’s Representative on the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Ben-Tukur, alongside senior government officials and industry stakeholders.

 

 

The ministry noted also that engagements also align with broader efforts to deepen investment in aviation infrastructure, improve safety standards and develop local technical expertise needed to support the sector’s long-term growth.