adsConcerns are mounting over the economic viability of establishing an Airbus Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facility in Nigeria, with industry stakeholders citing a critical deficit in the aircraft volume required to sustain such a capital-intensive asset.
Currently, Nigeria counts only two active Airbus aircraft within its borders.
The concerns follow an announcement by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who welcomed a proposal from European aerospace giant Airbus to establish maintenance and hangar facilities in the country, saying the initiative is part of federal efforts to de-risk domestic aviation and position Nigeria as a regional aerospace and aviation services hub.
However, aviation analysts and stakeholders argue that Nigeria lacks the required “critical mass” to justify the massive capital expenditure of a specialised Airbus base.
Even across the wider West African sub-region, fewer than 30 Airbus aircraft are currently operated collectively by Air Côte d’Ivoire, Air Senegal, United Nigeria Airlines, and the Nigerian Air Force.adsads
