By George Ozalla
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has led a high level delegation to Montreal, Canada, to engage officials of Bombardier Inc. on investment opportunities in Nigeria’s aviation sector.
The delegation included the Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Chris Najomo, and major operators of private jets in Nigeria.
At the meeting, discussions centred on the possibility of Bombardier establishing a major aircraft maintenance and service centre in Nigeria to support operators of its aircraft within the country and across the African continent.
Keyamo said Nigeria currently has the highest number of private jets in Africa, with nearly 240 aircraft operating in the country. He noted that substantial foreign exchange is repatriated from Nigeria every week for the maintenance of the aircraft abroad.
He said the proposed service centre would provide in-country maintenance support for Bombardier aircraft, reduce the need for operators to ferry aircraft overseas for routine servicing and position Nigeria to provide similar support for operators from other African countries.
The meeting also provided an opportunity for members of the Nigerian delegation, including the NCAA Director General, to exchange views with Bombardier officials on strengthening technical support for business aviation and expanding the company’s presence in Nigeria.
