The federal government says Airbus has proposed the establishment of aircraft maintenance and hangar facilities in Nigeria.
According to a statement by Bayo Onanuga, the president’s
special adviser on information and strategy, on Saturday, Tinubu has endorsed
the proposal.
The announcement followed a meeting between President Bola
Tinubu and an Airbus delegation led by Thierry Cloutet, head of regional
business growth for Africa and the Middle East, on Thursday on the sidelines of
the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali, Rwanda.
Onanuga said both parties also explored the possibility of
setting up an aviation leasing company in Nigeria to strengthen the sector’s
value chain and ease financing constraints for domestic operators.
“The engagement will cover commercial aviation, military
aircraft cooperation, human capital development, sustainability initiatives,
operational hubs and maintenance infrastructure. It will also include
collaboration on satellite and Earth observation,” the statement reads.
According to the statement, Cloutet commended Tinubu’s
economic reforms and efforts to stabilise the aviation sector.
“The company’s interest in supporting the country’s
long-term aerospace development objectives remains firm,” the statement reads.
Airbus also proposed a “360-degree engagement” framework
with Nigeria, covering commercial aviation, defence cooperation, sustainability
initiatives, satellite and Earth observation, and broader aerospace support
services.
Tinubu also renewed calls for the swift delivery of three
Apache attack helicopters already ordered by Nigeria, stressing the need to
strengthen military airpower and support ongoing security and counterterrorism
operations.
“Nigeria needs attack helicopters urgently that can be used
to confront and overwhelm terrorists. That is my priority now,” the president
said.
According to the statement,
Nigeria’s acquisition of the Airbus C-295 aircraft and wider defence
aviation cooperation, alongside financing models, were discussed.
Onanuga said the acquisitions are “aimed at improving
airline access to aircraft through export credit arrangements, lease
structures, and long-term funding solutions”.
On November 8, 2025, Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation and
aerospace development, said the federal government is set to establish a
Nigerian aircraft leasing company to ease aircraft acquisition challenges faced
by domestic carriers.
Seven months later, the federal government and Airbus signed
a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to provide crew, maintenance training, and
advisory services on MRO operations.
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