Get Guardian on GoogleFrom international aircraft leasing restrictions and trapped airline revenues to improved safety oversight and major airport investments, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s first three years have brought significant policy changes to Nigeria’s aviation sector. The central question is how far these reforms have translated into commercial progress, stronger institutions and better services.
When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, Nigeria’s aviation industry faced problems that extended far beyond ageing airport terminals and rising airfares.
Foreign airlines were struggling to repatriate hundreds of millions of dollars in ticket revenues. Nigerian carriers had limited access to international aircraft leasing markets. Airport infrastructure required substantial investment, while regulatory weaknesses continued to affect international confidence.
Three years later, the sector presents a materially different picture in several important respects.
International airlines have recovered most of their previously blocked revenues. Nigeria has improved its standing with aircraft leasing institutions. Aviation safety oversight has recorded measurable progress, and the government has embarked on significant airport infrastructure projects.
These developments provide the basis for assessing Tinubu’s aviation record, particularly the relationship between presidential policy, regulatory intervention and commercial outcomes.
Restoring International Confidence
One of the administration’s earliest challenges was the crisis surrounding foreign airlines’ trapped funds.
By June 2023, Nigeria had accumulated approximately $850 million in airline revenues that could not be repatriated because of foreign exchange constraints.
The implications were serious. International carriers reduced operations, financial uncertainty increased, and Nigeria’s reputation as an aviation market suffered.
The Central Bank of Nigeria subsequently undertook a phased clearance of the outstanding obligations.
By April 2024, 98 per cent of the blocked funds had been cleared, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The association publicly commended the Nigerian government and the CBN for addressing the problem.
The achievement was significant because airlines require reliable access to their earnings to sustain international operations.
IATA
Emirates Airlines’ return to Lagos on October 1, 2024, after nearly two years away, provided another indication of improving bilateral aviation relations.
The airline’s resumption followed diplomatic engagements involving the Tinubu administration, the United Arab Emirates and Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo.
Together, these developments helped remove major sources of uncertainty affecting Nigeria’s international aviation relationships.
Emirates
Reopening the Aircraft Leasing Market
For Nigerian airlines, another persistent problem was access to aircraft on competitive financing terms.
International lessors had become reluctant to place aircraft with Nigerian operators because of concerns about legal enforcement, repossession procedures and compliance with the Cape Town Convention.
Without predictable creditor protections, leasing companies faced greater risks, limiting the options available to domestic carriers.
The Tinubu administration, through the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, worked with judicial and regulatory institutions to strengthen Nigeria’s compliance framework.
A Federal High Court Practice Direction issued in 2024 clarified procedures for enforcing aviation-related agreements. Improvements to the Irrevocable Deregistration and Export Request Authorisation framework strengthened the legal position of aircraft financiers.
Nigeria’s Aviation Working Group compliance score subsequently increased from 49.5 per cent to 75.5 per cent, resulting in the country’s removal from the organisation’s watchlist of non-compliant jurisdictions.
Federal Ministry of Info
The reforms produced a notable commercial transaction in November 2025, when Air Peace received a Boeing 737-700 aircraft through a dry-lease arrangement with AerCap.
It was reported as Nigeria’s first such transaction in approximately a decade.
The significance was not simply the arrival of another aircraft. It demonstrated that international leasing companies were becoming more willing to transact with Nigerian airlines under the revised regulatory framework.
NCAA
A Measurable Safety Improvement
Safety oversight is perhaps the most consequential area of aviation regulation because it directly affects public confidence and international operations.
In April 2026, Nigeria recorded a 91.45 per cent Effective Implementation score during an International Civil Aviation Organization Coordinated Validation Mission.
The assessment, conducted between April 15 and 22, indicated substantial improvements in the implementation of international aviation safety oversight requirements.
The score placed Nigeria above the reported global average of 70.4 per cent and West African average of 61.1 per cent.
However, the NCAA explained that the result was subject to a subsequent ICAO validation process. It also measures regulatory oversight rather than guaranteeing the absence of accidents or operational failures.
NCAA+1
The improvement reflects work undertaken by aviation regulators and technical institutions, supported by the administration’s emphasis on regulatory compliance.
It also reinforces the importance of maintaining the independence and operational capacity of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.
Rebuilding Airport Infrastructure
Beyond regulatory reform, the administration has committed substantial resources to airport modernisation.
Its largest undertaking is the ₦712.3 billion reconstruction and modernisation programme for Terminal 1 at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
According to the Ministry of Aviation, the project includes terminal rehabilitation, redesigned passenger circulation, improved baggage handling facilities and new access infrastructure.
The ministry’s November 2026 progress report states that construction has passed the halfway mark, with financing provided through the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund.
Other reported investments include runway rehabilitation in Kano, international airport development in Maiduguri, and upgrades in several regional airports.
The commercial significance is considerable. Airports influence tourism, business travel, cargo operations and the attractiveness of cities to investors.
But infrastructure investment ultimately requires scrutiny of project delivery, operating efficiency and passenger experience.
An approved budget is not itself proof of value for money, and construction progress must eventually translate into functioning facilities.
Supporting Indigenous Airlines
The government’s aviation strategy has also placed considerable emphasis on supporting existing Nigerian carriers.
Rather than proceeding with the inherited Nigeria Air arrangement involving Ethiopian Airlines, the administration discontinued that structure and concentrated on measures intended to strengthen indigenous operators.
Air Peace’s entry into the Lagos–London market in March 2024 became a prominent example of Nigerian airlines expanding their international presence.
The government also pursued engagements with major aircraft manufacturers and introduced measures intended to improve aviation financing.
In April 2026, the Federal Executive Council approved the establishment of a Nigeria Aircraft Leasing Company, with projected capacity to facilitate more than $1 billion in fleet financing.
That figure remains an ambition rather than financing already deployed.
If successfully implemented, the company could improve aircraft availability and reduce financing constraints. Its eventual performance will depend on commercial management, investor participation and continued creditor confidence.
The Test Ahead
The aviation reforms undertaken since 2023 have produced several identifiable achievements.
The clearance of blocked airline funds removed a significant international commercial obstacle. Leasing reforms improved Nigeria’s regulatory standing and helped facilitate renewed dry-lease activity. Safety oversight assessments recorded progress, while airport modernisation projects moved into implementation.
These are substantive developments within a sector whose weaknesses accumulated over many years.
Yet important challenges remain. Airfares are still sensitive to exchange rates, fuel costs and aircraft availability. Airport improvements require sustained funding, and airlines must compete in a demanding regional and international market.
The administration’s record must therefore be assessed through both policy decisions and practical results.
For Tinubu, the next measure of progress will be whether these institutional improvements translate into financially stronger airlines, reliable services, competitive fares and modern aviation infrastructure.
Three years of reform have changed important elements of Nigeria’s aviation framework. The longer-term test is whether those changes become durable advantages for the industry, its investors and the travelling public.
Onome Amawhe is a Nigerian journalist, writer and editorial strategist, and Founder of Africa Executive, an editorial advisory specialising in executive content, corporate storytelling and strategic publishing. His work explores African leadership, business, culture, history and the continent’s evolving place in the global economy.
