FAAN Managing Director calls for immediate boost to economy and tourism to increase airline passenger numbers

According to Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, enhancing passenger traffic in Nigeria necessitates improvements in the country's business environment and a boost in tourism, thereby driving economic growth.

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For Nigeria's hub strategy to yield desired results, Kuku emphasized the need for international airports to have dedicated transit areas, alongside increased aircraft movements and additional points of entry, during her appearance on CNBC Africa.

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Kuku noted that Nigerian passengers travel less compared to other countries, attributing this to the country's Gross Domestic Product, GDP, which directly impacts travel frequency.

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She explained that a hub is essentially an airport environment that facilitates the movement of transit passengers from one location to another without necessarily making that country their final destination.

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Kuku pointed out that Nigeria's passenger traffic is less than two per cent when compared to the country's GDP, indicating that many Nigerian passengers are not traveling as much as those in other regions.

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To effectively drive passenger traffic, Kuku stressed the need to either enhance the business environment or stimulate economic activity, such as tourism or trade, which would attract more people to the country.

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The FAAN MD identified two key areas of focus for the future: driving the hub strategy and developing both passenger and cargo operations.

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Kuku acknowledged that making the hub strategy effective requires more than just developing airport infrastructure, emphasizing the need to examine the enablers, such as airlines and Bilateral Air Service Agreements, BASAs, with other countries.

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She commended the Minister's efforts over the past three years, which have led to an increase in the number of routes and airlines operating in and out of the Nigerian market.

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Kuku highlighted the importance of having a transit area, noting that the current lack of such facilities in Nigerian airports makes it difficult for passengers to transit, and revealed that this is being addressed as part of the ongoing rehabilitation work.