More than 500 airport professionals, policymakers, aviation experts, technology providers and other industry stakeholders from across Africa converged on Abuja as Nigeria hosts the 35th Airports Council International (ACI) Africa Annual General Assembly, Board and Committees Meetings, Regional Conference and Exhibition in the Federal Capital Territory.
The event commenced when the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, officially declared the weeklong event open on Tuesday.
The conference, themed: “Next-Gen Airports: Driving Performance and Resilience,” is focusing attention on the future of airport development in Africa amid growing demands for financial sustainability, operational efficiency, digitalisation, resilience and improved passenger experience.
The gathering also provides Nigeria with an opportunity to showcase developments across its airport network and examine the progress and challenges confronting the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) under its Managing Director//Chief Executive, Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku.
At a press conference ahead of the event, Secretary-General of ACI Africa, Ali Tounsi, identified financial viability and a rapidly changing operating environment as two of the major challenges facing airports across the continent.
According to Tounsi, about 80 percent of African airports are not financially efficient, raising concerns about the ability of airport operators to generate sufficient revenue to sustain infrastructure, technology, safety, security and passenger services.
He also identified digitalisation, natural catastrophes, accidents, environmental changes, skills and human resources as some of the factors that airport operators must increasingly prepare for.
Tounsi stressed that the future of African airports cannot be reduced to infrastructure or funding alone, noting that digitalisation, environmental issues, skills, people and preparedness would all shape the next generation of airports.
The issues are particularly relevant to Nigeria, which is currently undergoing significant airport infrastructure renewal.
Under Kuku, FAAN has focused on runway rehabilitation, airfield lighting, terminal facilities and other safety-critical infrastructure across the country.
The emerging airport-development model goes beyond physical infrastructure to include passenger experience, technology, operational efficiency and commercial sustainability.
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While delivering her welcome address, Mrs Kuku said the gathering is not merely a conference title but a strategic mandate.
“It is a call to action. It also reflects the journey we are collectively undertaking as a continent,” she said.
Kuku informed that several airlines had resumed operations in Nigeria since the current Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, assumed office, with more expected to return to the Nigerian market.
She, however, cautioned that the growth in passenger traffic and capacity should not obscure the structural challenges facing African aviation.
According to her, Africa accounts for only about one per cent of global air traffic despite having 18 per cent of the world’s population, while load factors remain below global averages and the financial viability of African airlines remains fragile.
“In Nigeria alone, with a population exceeding 220 million, we record approximately 19.5 million passengers annually across 28 airports,” she said.
She identified funding constraints, infrastructure deficits, high operating costs, fragmented connectivity and pressure to maintain low airport charges while providing world-class facilities as some of the major challenges confronting the sector.
FAAN Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection and Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Henry Agbebire, equally urged the media to focus beyond the ceremonies and personalities associated with the conference and examine the substantive issues confronting African airports.
The emphasis is significant as the conference brings together airport operators and industry experts at a time when African aviation is facing questions around financing, infrastructure, technology, environmental sustainability, resilience and human capacity.
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