Nigeria Air Missing From 2026 Budget As FG Allocates N87.3bn To Aviation Infrastructure

The Federal Government has omitted the controversial “Nigeria Air” project from its 2026 Appropriation Bill, signaling a strategic pivot toward infrastructure rehabilitation over the national carrier’s launch. In the proposal sent to the National Assembly, the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development and four key agencies were allocated a total of N87,309,964,484, representing a decline from the N105.95 billion earmarked in 2025.

A significant portion of the budget—N33.9 billion—is dedicated to the rehabilitation and upgrade of airports nationwide, targeting cracked runways, taxiways, and aging terminals. Notable allocations include N800 million for sealing runway cracks at major hubs in Lagos, Kano, and Port Harcourt, and N1 billion for the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) expansion at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport.

Additionally, the government has set aside N5 billion for safety-critical projects and airport certification, including Category 3 Airfield Lighting and disabled aircraft recovery equipment.

The 2026 fiscal plan continues to categorize the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) as self-sustaining, excluding them from direct budget lines.

Other high-priority projects include a N4 billion refund to the Kebbi State government for the Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport and N3 billion for the ongoing African Aviation and Aerospace University (AAAU) in Abuja. By focusing on aerodromes and safety systems, the budget appears designed to address the “incurable headache” of high operational costs that have recently pushed domestic airlines to the brink of collapse.