FAAN MD Charts Bold Course for Smart Airports, Regional Connectivity

The Managing Director and Chief Executive of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, has outlined the remarkable transformation taking place in Nigeria’s aviation sector, highlighting sustained macroeconomic recovery, ongoing infrastructure upgrades, and renewed regional cooperation as key drivers of growth.

Speaking at a regional aviation forum, Mrs Kuku reflected on Nigeria’s vast potential as Africa’s most populous nation and one of the continent’s fastest-growing economies, while stressing the need for greater private sector participation and investment in technology to improve passenger experience and connectivity.

“Imagine Nigeria alone – 220 million people; that’s literally half the population of South America,” Mrs Kuku said. “From Nigeria alone, we’ve significantly increased our reserves. Our monetary policy rates have come down, inflationary levels have reduced, and we’re working to improve GDP per capita.”

She explained that global passenger traffic growth was closely tied to economic performance, noting that Nigeria’s aviation sector was benefiting from the country’s improving macroeconomic indicators.

“Globally, air passenger traffic is linked to GDP, and we’re seeing significant improvements across Africa and in Nigeria generally,” she observed. “There have been improvements, and there’s definitely room for more growth. As one of the fastest-growing nations — and indeed the fastest-growing continent — there’s a lot for us to do, as we’re barely scratching the surface.”

Despite these gains, Mrs Kuku acknowledged that connectivity across Africa remained a challenge. “I recall our last regional conference in Zambia,” she recounted. “I had to fly east to Kenya first before heading south, and on my return, I had to route through the Middle East. That really highlights the connectivity issues we still face on the continent.”

Mrs Kuku emphasised that while the government had shown strong commitment to developing the aviation sector, its efforts needed to be complemented by private capital.

“You can’t depend on government alone in a market like ours, which is capital-intensive,” she stated. “At FAAN, we’ve been fortunate to secure partial funding from the federal government for major infrastructure upgrades. However, we are primarily driven by our internally generated revenue, which means we are largely self-sustaining — except for this major capital renewal we’re undertaking over the next 22 to 24 months.”

She added that partnerships with state governments and private investors were becoming central to FAAN’s strategy. “The state governments and private sector own airports too. This collaborative model is something we’re encouraging to expand airport infrastructure and improve service delivery across the country,” she said.

Highlighting ongoing efforts to modernise airport operations, Mrs Kuku said FAAN was focused on creating a passenger-friendly environment that reflected both global standards and the lifestyle of Nigerian travellers.

“We’re developing an airport environment that matches the lifestyle of our travellers,” she explained. “Much as we’re keen to implement modern, advanced technology that makes travel easier, we also want it to be seamless and understandable — aligned with the profile of passengers flying through our airports.”

According to her, FAAN has introduced contactless processing systems, including e-gates at departure and arrival terminals, which are already being adopted by many airlines. “We didn’t have that before,” she said. “The challenge has been getting airlines to key into these technology enhancements, but progress has been encouraging.”

She further revealed that FAAN and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had strengthened consumer protection mechanisms to enforce compliance among airlines. “We’ve sanctioned airlines that failed to support our strategy to improve passenger experience, and we’re now seeing much greater cooperation. The key is early stakeholder engagement and collaboration,” Mrs Kuku added.

As a vocal advocate of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), Mrs Kuku reiterated that unlocking Africa’s aviation potential required policy alignment, infrastructure investment, and trade expansion.

“We’ve been pushing actively for SAATM at the ACI Africa level,” she said. “In a resource-constrained environment, the question often is: what do you do first — build infrastructure or develop the economies around it? But both must move in tandem.”

She explained that FAAN’s strategy was to strengthen both business and export travel by building trade-focused infrastructure. “Nigeria is a very populous nation, and in terms of export-type activities, we’re huge in agribusiness — particularly across the Middle Belt. We’ve been partnering with state governments to ensure adequate export output and temperature-controlled facilities at airports,” she said.

Mrs Kuku also noted the importance of building Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facilities to support regional aviation growth. “If you look at Africa, especially West Africa, there’s no single MRO facility that handles C and D checks. We’re now working towards establishing that capability in Nigeria,” she affirmed.

The FAAN boss highlighted Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to empower domestic airlines to take advantage of bilateral air service agreements (BASAs).

“Nigeria doesn’t have a single national carrier,” she said. “However, we’re developing our local airlines so that they can reciprocate on BASAs. Over the last six to twelve months, we’ve seen domestic carriers expand their route networks significantly.”

Mrs Kuku proudly cited the recent launch of direct Abuja–Heathrow and Abuja–Gatwick routes by a Nigerian airline as a major milestone. “This is a big success for us — something we haven’t seen before. It’s proof that with the right support, Nigerian airlines can compete on global routes,” she declared.

With over 26 years of experience in finance and infrastructure development — including 15 years in aviation — Mrs Kuku expressed confidence that Nigeria was on the cusp of an aviation renaissance.

“We struggled over the last 24 months before seeing full market recovery, but now it’s happening,” she said. “These are fascinating times for us. It means we must invest more in infrastructure and networks to connect people — not just within Africa, but to the rest of the world.”

She concluded on an optimistic note: “Nigeria’s aviation sector is transforming before our eyes. With collaboration, innovation, and investment, we are well on our way to becoming a true regional and global hub.”