EUROPEAN aircraft manufacturing giant and lessor Airbus Group wants to open an operational office in Nigeria.
Airbus Group Vice President for Africa Vincent Larnicol broke the news last week during a visit to the Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika.
He informed Sirika of the group’s interest in government’s plans to attract concession into the sector.
Larnicol told Sirika that the company has expanded its strong European roots to move forward with fully owned subsidiaries in the United States (US), China, Japan, India and the Middle East .
He said the group has spare parts centres in Hamburg, Frankfurt, Washington, Beijing, Dubai and Singapore.
The group, according to him, has engineering and training centres in Toulouse, Miami, Wichita, Hamburg, Bangalore and Beijing; with more than 150 field service offices across the world.
The intention to open an office in Nigeria, Airbus said, was a mark of confidence in the government’s agenda for the aviation industry.
The group informed Sirika of its interest in the government’s plans of concessioning the nation’s airports as well as establishing a national carrier.
He commended the plan to establish an aircraft leasing company in view of the inherent difficulties in acquiring new aircraft.
According to him, Airbus, in its desire to get closer to its customers, was developing engineering, manufacturing and service capabilities in Europe, China, India, Russia, the Middle East, Singapore and the US. This, he said, informed the decision to establish its presence in Nigeria with the opening of an operational office.
