Chief Operating Officer of Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL), Mr. Remi Jobodu, has urged Nigeria’s aviation sector to embrace scalable airport infrastructure, reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks, and adopt competitive policies to attract investment.
Speaking at the 2025 LAAC Annual Conference in Lagos on Thursday, Jobodu said airports should be designed for long-term growth to avoid costly overhauls within a decade.
“You get to about five or ten years and realise you need to do things differently. If you did not establish scalability from the beginning, it becomes a challenge,” he noted.
He called for stronger public-private partnerships (PPP) and an enabling environment for airline and airport operators, warning that Nigerian carriers face steep operational costs in a global industry.
“If you’re competing with someone operating at 3% and you’re at 35%, you won’t survive. This is about Nigeria and the mobility of its citizens, not just the owners of airlines,” he said.
Jobodu revealed that Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal Two (MMA2) is prepared to commence regional operations within 24 hours if authorised by the government, stressing that the terminal already has the required facilities.
“If there is a lot of traffic and you cannot cope on one side, and there is capacity on the other side, you push to that side. We have the capacity to take that on immediately,” he stated.
He concluded that simplifying the process of establishing airlines and airports, along with policies to enhance passenger experience, is critical to ensuring the industry’s long-term survival.
