BY OLAPEJU OLUBI
For years, Nigeria’s aviation sector has operated under what experts tagged a quiet but growing contradiction.
To them, Nigeria has a modernising industry funded by pricing structures frozen in time. While global aviation has evolved rapidly, embracing new technologies, stricter safety standards, and more demanding passenger expectations, Nigeria’s airport charges have largely remained rooted in the early 2000s.
The result is a widening gap between ambition and capacity, between what Nigerian airports aspire to be and what current revenues can realistically sustain.
At the heart of this conversation lies the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the custodian of 22 airports nationwide and the backbone of the country’s aviation infrastructure.
For decades, FAAN has grappled with the pressure of rising operational costs, inflationary erosion, and mounting regulatory obligations, all while relying on revenue streams that no longer reflect present-day realities.
In 2026, the call to review airport charges is not simply about money—it is about survival, safety, competitiveness, and national pride.
This debate, therefore, transcends economics. It speaks to Nigeria’s broader quest to build a resilient aviation ecosystem capable of supporting trade, tourism, business mobility, and international confidence. The central question is no longer whether charges should rise, but whether Nigeria can afford to keep them unchanged.
A Two-Decade Freeze in a Fast-Moving Industry
Over the past 20 years, airport charges in Nigeria have remained largely static. In that same timeframe, virtually every cost component in aviation has surged. Fuel prices have fluctuated upward, security standards have intensified, technology has become more expensive, and the cost of infrastructure maintenance has multiplied.
Inflation alone has significantly reduced the real value of FAAN’s revenue, forcing the authority to stretch limited funds across increasingly complex operational demands.
Running a modern airport today requires far more than maintaining runways and terminals. Airports have become technology-driven ecosystems powered by sophisticated security systems, advanced navigation equipment, real-time passenger processing platforms, environmental compliance frameworks, and continuous training regimes. Attempting to fund this 2026 reality with 2002-era pricing models is neither sustainable nor strategic.
The Weight of Rising Operational and Regulatory Costs
Modern airport operations are capital-intensive by design. FAAN must ensure uninterrupted power supply, robust perimeter security, high-grade firefighting capabilities, advanced passenger screening systems, airfield lighting, runway maintenance, and certified personnel across multiple technical disciplines.
Beyond core operations, global regulatory standards continue to expand. Compliance with ICAO security mandates, environmental protocols such as ISO 14001, and quality management systems aligned with ISO 9001 now require consistent investment. Training, recurrent certification, environmental management, customer service upgrades, and digital transformation are no longer optional—they are prerequisites for international credibility.
Each layer of compliance adds financial pressure. Without a revised cost-recovery framework, FAAN faces a structural dilemma: how to meet global benchmarks without the revenue base to support them.
Closing the Infrastructure Gap
A walk through many Nigerian airports reveals the scale of the infrastructure challenge. From terminal modernization and runway rehabilitation to taxiway upgrades, baggage handling systems, apron expansion, perimeter fencing, power resilience, cooling systems, and lightning protection, the investment needs are vast and urgent.
Regional competitors such as Accra, Addis Ababa, Kigali, and Johannesburg continue to upgrade their airport facilities, positioning themselves as preferred hubs for international airlines and cargo operators. If Nigeria fails to modernize at a similar pace, it risks losing traffic, partnerships, and economic opportunities to better-equipped neighbors.
Revised airport charges represent a pathway toward sustainable infrastructure financing, one that enables FAAN to maintain critical assets, expand passenger and cargo capacity, enhance safety margins, and elevate Nigeria’s competitive standing within Africa and beyond.
Safety and Security: Non-Negotiable Pillars
In aviation, safety is not an aspiration—it is a mandatory standard. Meeting global safety benchmarks requires continuous investment in equipment, technology, and people.
From acquiring state-of-the-art firefighting vehicles to deploying modern surveillance and screening systems, safety infrastructure carries significant capital costs.
Enhanced revenue would also strengthen FAAN’s ability to maintain perpetual audit readiness for ICAO, the NCAA, and other regulatory bodies.
This is critical not only for compliance but also for safeguarding Nigeria’s international aviation reputation. In an industry where trust and safety drive airline decisions and passenger confidence, underinvestment carries reputational and operational risks.
Elevating Passenger Experience and Airline Efficiency
Today’s travelers expect more than functional airports. They demand clean terminals, efficient security checks, reliable baggage systems, strong lighting, comfortable waiting areas, fast internet connectivity, and responsive customer service. Airlines, in turn, require efficient ground handling environments that support quick turnarounds and operational reliability.
Meeting these expectations requires funding for technology upgrades, facility maintenance, service training, and customer experience enhancements.
A revised charging framework provides FAAN with the financial leverage to meet rising service expectations while strengthening Nigeria’s attractiveness as an aviation gateway.
Aligning with Global Best Practices
Globally, airport charges are reviewed every three to five years, ensuring that pricing structures remain aligned with operational realities and cost-recovery principles.
Nigeria’s extended delay in adjusting charges places it outside international best practice and limits its ability to sustain modern airport operations.
By implementing a transparent, regulated review process, FAAN can align with ICAO’s cost-recovery framework and funding models adopted across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. This alignment not only improves financial sustainability but also signals institutional maturity and policy credibility to global aviation partners.
Driving Growth, Trade, and Economic Expansion
Aviation is a catalyst for national development. Efficient, modern airports support tourism, facilitate trade, boost cargo and e-commerce, attract foreign airlines, and enhance regional connectivity.
FAAN’s ability to upgrade airport infrastructure is directly tied to Nigeria’s ambition to become a West African aviation hub.
Improved facilities can unlock new routes, stimulate airline competition, strengthen cargo operations, and create jobs across aviation-linked industries. Conversely, inadequate funding risks stagnation and the underutilization of Nigeria’s vast market potential.
The Importance of Transparency and Stakeholder Trust
For the upward review of charges to succeed, stakeholder engagement is essential. Airlines, ground handlers, freight forwarders, aviation workers, passengers, regulators, and the media must understand the rationale behind the adjustments.
Clear communication can reposition the review not as a punitive measure, but as a strategic investment in safer airports, improved service quality, stronger infrastructure, and long-term industry sustainability. Transparency will be the foundation of public trust and industry buy-in.
Investing in the Airports Nigeria Deserves Nigeria’s size, population, and economic influence demand airports that reflect its global stature.
Yet world-class aviation infrastructure cannot thrive on outdated revenue models. The proposed FAAN airport charge review is, at its core, an investment in national capability.
By modernizing tariffs, Nigeria positions itself to enhance safety, upgrade infrastructure, improve passenger experience, meet international standards, and restore competitiveness.
In the long run, the true beneficiaries will be travelers, airlines, cargo operators, investors, and the broader Nigerian economy.
The question is no longer whether Nigeria should pay more for its airports. The real question is whether Nigeria can afford not to.
Olapeju is a journalist and aviation reporter.
