President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has welcomed a proposal by global aircraft manufacturer Airbus to establish maintenance and hangar facilities in Nigeria as part of efforts to position the country as a regional aerospace and aviation services hub.
The President also stressed Nigeria’s urgent need for modern helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft to support security operations, logistics and broader national development priorities amid ongoing efforts to tackle insecurity across parts of the country.
Tinubu spoke on Thursday during a meeting with an Airbus delegation led by the company’s Head of Regional Business Growth for Africa and the Middle East, Thierry Cloutet, on the sidelines of the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali, Rwanda.
According to a statement on the meeting, the President said his administration was determined to deepen its relationship with Airbus by leveraging the company’s expertise in military aircraft and aerospace development.
Tinubu specifically called for the accelerated delivery of three Apache helicopters already ordered by Nigeria, saying the country urgently needs more air assets to intensify counterterrorism operations and strengthen national security efforts.
“Nigeria needs attack helicopters urgently that can be used to confront and overwhelm terrorists. That is my priority now,” the President said.
Discussions during the meeting also focused on Nigeria’s acquisition of the Airbus C-295 platform, broader defence aviation cooperation, and possible aircraft leasing and financing arrangements aimed at easing funding constraints within the aviation sector.
The talks explored export credit arrangements, sale-and-lease-back structures and long-term financing solutions designed to improve access to aircraft for Nigerian operators and boost the capacity of local airlines.
Tinubu also discussed the possibility of establishing an aviation leasing company in Nigeria to unlock value within the country’s aviation ecosystem and expand financing opportunities for domestic operators.
Cloutet commended the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms and ongoing efforts to stabilise Nigeria’s aviation industry, reaffirming Airbus’ commitment to supporting the country’s long-term aerospace development goals.
The Airbus executive proposed what he described as a “360-degree engagement” model with Nigeria, covering commercial aviation, military aircraft cooperation, operational hubs, maintenance infrastructure, sustainability initiatives and human capital development.
The proposed collaboration would also extend to satellite technology and Earth observation systems as part of broader efforts to modernise Nigeria’s aviation and aerospace sectors.
