How Covid-19 Provided Opportunities Across the Aviation Ecosystem

The Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has stated how the Corvid-19 pandemic provided opportunities across the aviation ecosystem while embarking on Public-Private Partnership (PPP).

How Covid-19 Provided Opportunities Across the Aviation Ecosystem

The Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, on Thursday in Abuja stated that efforts of the Federal Government to find solutions to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic had created fantastic opportunities in the entire aviation ecosystem.

According to him, the plan of the government to make regulation easier to invest in all areas of the roadmap was to encourage the investors, thus the need for the Public-Private Partnership.

“Recently, the Federal Capital Territory offered 12,000 hectares of land for aviation development for Abuja airport. This will give good opportunity for investment. There are opportunities in other airports like the Lagos airport.

“The aviation roadmap of the Federal Government being implemented under the leadership of Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, who is unavoidable absent today, gives opportunity for investment into aviation industry.

“Apart from FAAN, other agencies, NCAT, NIMET, AIB NCAA under the ministry also provide excellent opportunity for the investment in the airports.

“The aviation sector summons opportunity for investment, “ he said.

Mr. Sadiku Rafindadi, FAAN Director of Commercial and Business Development, also speaking at the  Investment Forum of the maiden edition of FAAN National Aviation Conference (FNAC). stated that the participation of the general people, government officials, and aviation stakeholders was critical to the forum’s success.

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Due to its proximity to Europe, the Middle East, and the rest of Africa, Rafindadi said the Nigerian aviation sector was ideally positioned to take advantage of the predicted expansion in the African market.

The director said that most of West and Central Africa were within a four-hour flying time from Nigeria with no clear dominating airline present.

“Nigerian aviation market is huge, yet untapped, we plan to fully tap Nigeria’s potential and fully harness the available opportunities within the 21 airports managed by FAAN.

“In 2020, the domestic and international passenger traffic stood at 9, 358, 186 and increased to 15, 885, 955 in 2021 representing, a growth of 14 per cent.

“Analysts have forecast that Nigeria`s passenger traffic will exceed that of the Global Aviation Sector as such aviation remains pivotal to the socio-economic growth of Nigeria.

“Nigeria`s passenger traffic is expected to grow at 7 per cent over the next 10 years, while the global industry remains at 5.3 per cent, “ he said.