Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), has advised state governments against embarking on airport projects without thorough economic and feasibility assessments, highlighting that fewer than 10% of Nigerians currently travel by air.
During an online engagement, Kuku stressed that airport development goes beyond constructing buildings; it requires substantial financial investment and adherence to global aviation standards for safety and compliance.
“It is a global standard; it’s not a Nigerian standard. For me to keep an airport running as an international airport, I need to make sure I have a sufficient number of fire trucks, fire personnel and aviation security personnel. Airports are no joke for me,” she said.
She pointed out Nigeria’s aviation market’s limited size, with only 17.5 million air travellers in 2025 compared to a population of 220 million.
“The average number of travellers shows Nigeria recorded about 17.5 million in 2025. We have a population of 220 million people. It means that less than 10 per cent of our population is flying. If you’re going to build an airport, you have to think about it from an economic perspective. One, is it viable? Two, what are the things I can do as a state to improve the connectivity and the traffic in that airport?” Kuku said.
Kuku emphasized the need for supporting economic activities to enhance passenger and cargo traffic at airports and urged states to improve broader transportation infrastructure, including road and rail, to ensure viable investments in aviation projects.
“In some instances, there is a socioeconomic element which is more around safety. Air travel is one of the safest modes of transport in Nigeria today. But we also need to look inward. How do we improve the security architecture of the states? How do we invest more in rail? We must look at multimodal transport options, not just think about building airports, but also about developing the road and rail networks before making such huge investments,” she said.