MANAGING Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, is set to address the proliferation of the country’s airports and other challenges including how to maintain air transport infrastructure, the inability to cover electricity bills and maintenance costs at the upcoming Airport Business Summit and Expo.
The FAAN MD will be leading discussions at the summit with other industry experts to reignite the debate on achieving viability for the numerous airports across the country.
Other key areas to receive focus from stakeholders at the event are in the area of boosting aviation revenue for the development and sustainability of airports through a comprehensive and aggressive plan.
During the summit, stakeholders will also explore ways to optimise revenue from airport activities under the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
Speaking on the coming summit, which will take place at the NIGAV Centre at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Chairman of Airport Business Summit and Expo 2024, Fortune Idu, said the programme was crafted around the pillars of airport viability and the revenue optimisation plan of the present administration.
Idu said the aim of the summit would be achieved with the airport managers fully empowered through training, exposure and equipment to perform the task that goes beyond the procedures for managing and taking off aircraft.
While urging managers of Nigerian airports to remain focused and attract more passengers for the growth of air traffic in their airports, Idu further called on airport managers to come up with robust ideas that will sell their products to investors, governments and the communities around them by allowing them to have stakes.
According to Idu, if a portion of an airport strip is sold to a very big, tourism-oriented hotel, the hotel will attract traffic by increasing the number of passengers already on the plane.
He advised airport managers to look beyond passengers traffic flow, which they inherited as managers and be more business-oriented than from the operational perspective.
While commending most of the managers for doing good jobs in terms of operations at various airports, Idu challenged them to be more business-conscious as part of the aviation business structure.
He, however, cautioned that henceforth, when designing an airport, the type of business it can support should be considered so that the airport can balance aeronautical and non-aeronautical revenue.
“Airports have vast land for business and airport managers need to understand how to effectively utilise it to create revenue without creating an air transport-restrictive cluster around the airport. Airports can design plans to increase traffic by examining relationships between airports, airlines, states and investors to make it work for airport performance,” Idu said.
Other players to feature at the summit are the acting Director-General of NCAA, Captain Chris Najomo and a former Managing Director of FAAN, Dr Richard Aisuebeogun, who is chairman of Avialog.
Over 15 speakers have confirmed their participation with prominent international airport managers attending the workshop sessions.
In the last one year, the FAAN boss has been offering perspectives and interventions on refocusing airport personnel to extract operational competence for optimum business management.
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