Gov Peter Mbah of Enugu State.
By Dennis Agbo
On Thursday, last week, the federal government completed the handover of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, AIIA, Enugu to Concessionaires, Aero Alliance, who promised to transform the only international airport in the south east into Africa’s leading aviation hub.
The process to concessioning the airport dates back over 20 years ago, revisited under successive administrations as part of airport reform and public-private partnership (PPP) initiatives. The major milestone however came on July 31 2025, when the Federal Executive Council approved the proposal to concession the airport, subject to the final contract.
The concessioning encountered a number of institutional, political, legal, and public perception challenges such as strong opposition from aviation workers’ unions including: the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), and the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP). These unions feared that concessioning would lead to job losses or staff redundancies, weaken workers’ benefits and pensions, reduce government control over airport operations, and eventually amount to privatization rather than a management partnership. Their resistance slowed discussions and forced the government to provide assurances that employees’ interests would be protected.
