Get Guardian on GoogleNigeria’s aviation sector remained largely unfriendly to tourists in 2025 and recorded only marginal growth, despite policy reforms and untapped potential in air transport and tourism.
This was the view of the former President of the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA), Olusoji Amusani, in an interview with The Guardian.
According to Amusan, the aviation industry in Nigeria in 2025 failed to deliver meaningful progress, especially in positioning air transport as a catalyst for tourism development and economic growth.
Amusan, who was also a past Lufthansa German Airlines Manager in Nigeria, regretted that Nigeria continued to struggle with creating a welcoming aviation ecosystem for both domestic and international tourists, even though the country boasts vast cultural, ecological and business travel attractions.
He noted that tourism could only thrive on ease of access, affordability and positive travel experience, which he said were still largely missing from Nigeria’s air transport system.
He argued that Nigeria had failed to properly align air transport with tourism development, particularly in attracting inbound tourists who spend their money within the local economy.
Amusan further criticised what he described as weak national support for indigenous airlines, citing the experience of Air Peace, Nigeria’s largest carrier operating international routes.
He said: “We have not done what we ought to do. We didn’t achieve much in the aviation sector in 2025, though there were a few gains. In terms of growth and making our aviation tourist-friendly, we did not achieve much.
“Nigerians are not nationalistic; rather, we preoccupy ourselves with what we can gain only from the system. Look at Air Peace for instance, which is on international routes. How many Nigerians are supporting the airline? The majority agreed that the former Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, messed us up, but what is happening to him today?”
He also referenced policy setbacks from previous years, arguing that lingering systemic challenges continued to undermine investor confidence and sectoral growth.
Despite his criticism of the sector, he, however, acknowledged that the industry recorded mild growth in 2025, driven largely by regulatory and legal reforms rather than operational expansion.
He singled out the sustained implementation of the Cape Town Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment as one of the most significant achievements in the sector during the year.
He credited the current Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, for pushing the process forward.
He expressed that the framework had begun to restore confidence among foreign aircraft lessors and financiers.
However, Amusan warned that without deliberate efforts to make airports, airlines and immigration processes more tourism-friendly, the benefits of such reforms may not translate into increased passenger traffic or inbound tourism.
