The Federal Government has approved a full overhaul of navigational and communication systems across airports in the country. The goal is to improve air safety, modernise aviation infrastructure, and make passenger movement more efficient.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, announced the approvals on Wednesday while briefing State House Correspondents after the Federal Executive Council meeting chaired by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Keyamo said the Council approved the extension of the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation maintenance contract for the new terminal at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport. He added that several major aviation projects also received the council’s approval.
The new upgrades include the installation of Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control Systems in Lagos and Abuja to improve the detection of runway obstructions. Eight airports will receive modular air traffic control towers. The government will deploy an aeronautical frequency monitoring and interference detection system, while nine airports will get new Very High Frequency radio communication systems.
Keyamo explained that the aeronautical frequency monitoring system will improve communication between ground personnel, air traffic controllers, and pilots during flight operations. He listed Lagos, Port Harcourt, Ilorin, Abuja, Kano, Maiduguri, Sokoto, and Wukari as airports that will benefit from the radio communication upgrade.
He also announced that the President has approved the deployment of biometric electronic gates at all international airports to reduce delays and speed up passenger processing.
Keyamo said the series of upgrades reflect the President’s directive to modernise aviation facilities and make Nigerian air travel safer and more efficient.
In a separate development, the International Air Transport Association reported that air passengers across the world paid about 60.4 billion dollars in taxes and charges in 2024. According to the association, these charges were added to ticket prices and remitted to governments by airlines.
Meanwhile, flight tickets from Lagos, Abuja, and other major cities to destinations in the South South and South East have risen sharply in recent weeks. Routes such as Asaba, Enugu, Port Harcourt, Benin, Imo, Anambra, Ebonyi, and Akwa Ibom are currently recording high fares across domestic airlines.
