President Bola Tinubu has welcomed a proposal by global aerospace giant Airbus to establish aircraft maintenance and hangar facilities in Nigeria, describing the move as a strategic step toward positioning the country as a regional hub for aviation and aerospace services.
Tinubu also underscored Nigeria’s urgent need for modern helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft to strengthen security operations, logistics support and other national development priorities as the government intensifies efforts to combat insecurity in several parts of the country.
According to a statement issued by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga on Saturday, the President spoke during a meeting with an Airbus delegation led by Thierry Cloutet, the company’s Head of Regional Business Growth for Africa and the Middle East, on the sidelines of the Africa CEO Forum held in Kigali on Thursday.
During the meeting, Tinubu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to deepening Nigeria’s partnership with Airbus, particularly in the areas of military aircraft procurement and aerospace development.
The President also pressed for the accelerated delivery of three Apache helicopters previously ordered by Nigeria to support ongoing counter-terrorism and internal security operations.
“Nigeria needs attack helicopters urgently that can be used to confront and overwhelm terrorists. That is my priority now,” Tinubu said.
Discussions at the meeting also focused on Nigeria’s planned acquisition of the Airbus C-295 aircraft platform, broader defence aviation collaboration, and new financing models aimed at improving access to aircraft for domestic operators.
The talks covered export credit arrangements, sale-and-lease-back structures, and long-term financing solutions designed to ease funding challenges in Nigeria’s aviation sector and support the growth of local airlines.
Tinubu further explored the possibility of establishing an aviation leasing company in Nigeria to unlock opportunities within the aviation value chain and improve aircraft financing access for indigenous carriers.
In his remarks, Cloutet commended Tinubu’s economic reforms and ongoing efforts to stabilise the aviation sector, while reaffirming Airbus’ readiness to support Nigeria’s long-term aerospace ambitions.
He proposed what he described as a “360-degree engagement” model with Nigeria, covering commercial aviation, defence cooperation, human capital development, sustainability initiatives, operational hubs and maintenance infrastructure.
The proposed partnership is also expected to include collaboration in satellite technology and Earth observation systems.
