Expert: Airport certification I’ll lower airlines’ insurance premium, others

• How FAAN underwent tedious aerodrome certification

 The recent certification of both the Kano and Port Harcourt airports has again rekindled hope for aerodrome safety, lower insurance premiums, and other benefits for the country.

The aerodrome certification approvals were formally presented on December 19, 2025, at the NCAA headquarters in Abuja, following a rigorous, structured regulatory process jointly conducted by FAAN and the NCAA.

Tukur

According to the Federal Airports Authority (FAAN) Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mr Henry Agbebire, the process involved multiple audits, operational assessments, and infrastructure evaluations to ensure the airports met international safety benchmarks.

The journey for Kano and Port Harcourt was not a simple paperwork exercise. It was a rigorous, multi-month gap-closing cycle.

The NCAA issued Corrective Action Notices (CANs)—essentially lists of safety “failures”—and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) responded with Corrective Action Plans (CAPs).

To pass these airports, crews worked day and night on runway rehabilitation, upgrading airfield lighting, and modernising firefighting and rescue equipment to meet ICAO Annexe 14 standards.

The Director-General of NCAA, Capt. Chris Najomo confirmed that both airports now have “no matters of significant safety concern outstanding.”

By certifying Kano in the North and Port Harcourt in the South, Nigeria has secured the two primary economic hubs outside Lagos and Abuja.

The NCAA Director of Aerodrome Standards, Mr Godwin Balang, explained that the certification process resulted from painstaking inspections and ongoing engagement with FAAN teams.

He noted that inspectors worked closely with airport managers to identify safety gaps, implement corrective actions, and align aerodrome operations with global standards and international best practices. He added that the process demanded consistency, discipline, and full organisational commitment.

An aviation expert and former operations manager at Chanchangi Airlines, Alhaji Mohammed Tukur, said the process of certifying international airports—the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) in alignment with ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) standards—is far more than a bureaucratic exercise.

He said it is a fundamental shift from a “harsh operating environment” to a “global aviation hub.”

Tukur, while speaking with Aviation Metric at the weekend, further said, “Before a major international carrier like British Airways, Lufthansa, or United Airlines expands its frequency to a city, its insurers and safety auditors look at one thing,g which is aerodrome certification.”

He further stated that certification confirms that the airport’s runways, fire services, and navigation aids meet ICAO Annexe 14 standards, noting that without it, Nigeria is often categorised as “high risk.”

He explained that international airlines have the “regulatory green light” to deploy their newest, most expensive aircraft to Nigerian soil, given that the infrastructure is guaranteed to be safe.

He highlighted that one of the biggest silent killers of Nigerian aviation performance is the insurance premium, lamenting that Nigeria has historically been viewed as a high-risk zone, with domestic airlines paying some of the highest insurance rates in the world.

“When an airport is certified, it signifies that the ground risk has been mitigated, as seen with the certification of Lagos and Abuja, and most recently Kano and Port Harcourt in late 2025. Insurers can review premiums downward. This saves millions of dollars for local carriers like Overland, ValueJet or Ibom Air, allowing them to lower ticket prices for the average Nigerian traveller.”

Nigeria made a breakthrough by issuing aerodrome certificates to the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (Kano) and the Port Harcourt International Airport last week.

This brings the total of certified international gateways in the country to four, signalling that Nigeria is finally moving from “potential” to a “performance-driven” aviation powerhouse.

Wole Shadare