Nigeria set for first int’l air show – Keyamo

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, on Friday announced that all was set for Nigeria to host its first-ever International Air Show. Keyamo, who made the disclosure in Abuja while touring the Nnamdi Azikiwe Inrernational Airport with heads of aviation agencies and private partners, said the government only provided its “franchise, logo […]

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, on Friday announced that all was set for Nigeria to host its first-ever International Air Show.

Keyamo, who made the disclosure in Abuja while touring the Nnamdi Azikiwe Inrernational Airport with heads of aviation agencies and private partners, said the government only provided its “franchise, logo and infrastructure,” while private investors were funding the entire show.

“All of this you are seeing, the federal government has not spent one naira on it. We made our infrastructure available. The private partners are the ones investing. It is a purely PPP arrangement,” he said.

The minister said the show would feature air displays by the Nigerian Air Force, exhibitions, product showcases and meetings among airlines, aircraft manufacturers and financiers.

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“We are satisfied that we are within time. This is the right moment to showcase Nigeria to the world,” he said.

He noted that global aviation nations use air shows to demonstrate capacity and attract investment, citing Farnborough, Paris and Dubai as examples.

“For us, this is the first time in history we are doing an international air show, and we are expecting foreign visitors, foreign airlines and investors,” he added.

Keyamo said temporary airspace restrictions would be imposed during the displays.

“For those brief periods, people have been told not to fly in or out. But we are not closing the airspace for long, just minutes or about an hour,” he explained.

He also said the event had already generated industry interest, with visitors expected to begin arriving from Sunday.

Bria Williams, the chief executive officer of the Nigeria International Air Show, said several global aviation companies had confirmed participation.