President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has welcomed the proposal by Airbus to establish aircraft maintenance and hangar facilities in Nigeria.
Hikaya Newspaper reports that the President said the move would help position Nigeria as a regional hub for aviation and aerospace services in Africa.
Tinubu spoke during a meeting with an Airbus delegation led by Thierry Cloutet, Head of Regional Business Growth for Africa and the Middle East, on the sidelines of the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali. He also stressed the urgent need for modern helicopters and aircraft to support security operations, logistics, and national development efforts across the country.
The President called for the quick delivery of the three Apache helicopters already ordered by Nigeria, saying the country urgently needs attack helicopters to strengthen the fight against terrorism and insecurity. Discussions during the meeting also covered defence aviation cooperation, aircraft financing, leasing arrangements, and the possibility of establishing an aviation leasing company to improve access to aircraft for Nigerian operators.
In his remarks, Thierry Cloutet praised President Tinubu’s economic reforms and efforts to stabilise Nigeria’s aviation sector. He reaffirmed Airbus’ interest in supporting Nigeria’s long-term aerospace goals and proposed a wider partnership that would cover commercial aviation, military aircraft cooperation, human capital development, maintenance infrastructure, sustainability programmes, and satellite technology.