The growing interest of some state governments in cargo airports, rather than passenger terminals, is largely driven by economic considerations and regulatory efficiency, the Group Managing Director of Finchglow Holdings Ltd, Bankole Bernard, has said.
Bernard also said that Nigeria’s aviation sector is positioning air cargo as a new growth frontier for trade, agriculture and foreign exchange earnings, with the rollout of the Cargo Accounts Settlement System (CASS) and the Nigeria Local Consultative Council (LCC).
Bernard, in an interview with selected aviation journalists, said passenger airports require extensive certification by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) in line with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards, a process that is both capital-intensive and time-consuming.
According to him, cargo airports, on the other hand, face fewer regulatory hurdles because they handle goods rather than passengers.
“For many states, cargo airports provide a faster entry point into the aviation value chain, especially when the objective is to support agriculture, manufacturing and exports,” he said.
He specifically cited Ogun state as an example of how cargo infrastructure could be aligned with broader economic goals, noting that the inclusion of cargo processing facilities allows agricultural produce to be packaged to international standards before export.
Such facilities, he declared, reduce post-harvest losses, improve export quality and enable farmers to earn better returns, while strengthening Nigeria’s non-oil export base.
Bernard expressed optimism that private investors would increasingly partner with state governments to develop cargo processing and logistics hubs around these airports, creating jobs and boosting internally generated revenue.
On the recently inaugurated Cargo Accounts Settlement System (CASS), Nigeria Local Consultative Council (LCC), Bernard said the body was expected to bring structure, transparency and global market access to the cargo sub-sector in Nigeria.
He lamented that the absence of a centralised settlement and data platform had for years, limited the ability of government and investors to quantify the economic value of air cargo, making policy planning and infrastructure investment largely speculative.
Bernard who was recently appointed as the Chairman of CASS, said that the system would provide Nigeria with a single reference point for cargo revenue, traffic volumes and growth trends, similar to what the Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP) achieved for passenger travel.
He explained that CASS, operated by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), would allow air cargo originating from Nigeria to be sold and settled anywhere in the world, significantly expanding market access for exporters and logistics providers.
He said: “Once you have a central settlement system, it becomes easier to benchmark activities and measure economic contribution. That was how Nigeria discovered it spends over $1 billion annually on air travel. Cargo will follow the same trajectory.
“With this system, freight from Nigeria can be sold in Europe, Asia or North America. That kind of global reach changes the scale of the business entirely and opens new revenue channels for airlines, airports and government.”
According to Bernard, about nine airlines are already participating in CASS in Nigeria, with more expected to join as confidence grows in the system’s transparency and commercial benefits.
Bernard said the LCC was already engaging key agencies, including the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), to highlight the strategic value of CASS in repositioning cargo as a major revenue driver for the aviation sector.
The meeting with the Managing Director, FAAN, Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, he said would hold in the first quarter of 2026.
“Once FAAN understands the value proposition of CASS, it will help clean up the system and enable proper planning for cargo infrastructure and operations,” he said.
