Minister petitions IATA over Osubi airport code ‘QRW’, orders airlines to drop ‘Warri’ label

In a bid to resolve lingering geographic and operational misalignments in Nigeria’s airspace data, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has formally petitioned the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to review the three-letter location code assigned to Osubi Airport in Delta State.

The airport currently operates under the IATA code QRW and the ICAO indicator DNSU. Keyamo argues that the existing IATA code leans heavily on the broader Warri identity rather than the airport’s official geographic location in Osubi town, creating systemic ambiguity in global ticketing and inventory systems.

The request was conveyed in a formal letter addressed to IATA’s Area Manager for West and Central Africa, Dr. Samuel Fatokun.

While the facility serves the commercial hub of the Warri metropolitan area and is colloquially known as “Warri Airport,” the Federal Government has reiterated that its gazetted name remains Osubi Airport.

To eliminate discrepancies across global distribution systems (GDS), passenger name records (PNRs), and baggage handling platforms, the Ministry has tabled potential replacement codes for IATA’s evaluation, subject to availability and allocation criteria:

• OSU

• OSB

• SUB

• QSB

Aligning the code with the facility’s physical name, the Minister noted, will establish consistency across airline schedule publishing, booking engines, and international navigational records.

Backing the diplomatic move with immediate domestic enforcement, Keyamo directed scheduled and charter carriers operating the route to update their documentation.

Airlines must now ensure that passenger tickets, baggage tags, boarding passes, and flight manifests reflect the facility’s designated title as Osubi, Delta State, rather than Warri.

Regulators and service providers—including the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA)—have equally been instructed to harmonise their operational interfaces, aeronautical information publications (AIPs), and internal logs to enforce the proper naming convention.

Addressing the rationale behind the overhaul, Keyamo dismissed notions that the reclassification undermines the facility’s economic role in the region.

“Osubi is not Warri, and Warri is not Osubi. The clarification is intended to ensure geographical and operational accuracy, rather than create confusion around the airport’s role in serving the wider Warri metropolitan area.”

The Ministry maintained that the Federal Government remains focused on modernising and aligning Nigeria’s aviation infrastructure data with international standards and strict geographic precision.

Wole Shadare