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The Enugu State Government has identified the launch of Enugu Air and the concession of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport as strategic pillars in its ambitious plan to expand the state’s economy from $4.4 billion to $30 billion by 2031.
According to the government, the aviation initiatives are expected to stimulate tourism, attract private investments, boost agricultural exports and position Enugu as the economic hub of Nigeria’s South-East region.
The Secretary to the State Government, Chidiebere Onyia, disclosed this on Tuesday during the Renewed Hope Media Tour of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu.
Onyia explained that the airport project forms part of Governor Peter Mbah’s broader economic blueprint aimed at transforming Enugu into a major centre for tourism, hospitality, agriculture and private sector-driven growth.
“Under this government, Peter Mbah and the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the governor approached the aviation sector to begin the process of concessioning this international airport in alignment with the broader vision for aviation tourism in Enugu State,” he said.
He stressed that the initiative extends beyond airport concessioning, describing it as a carefully designed strategy to integrate aviation with tourism and hospitality to unlock economic opportunities.
According to Onyia, the state developed projections of between three and five million visitors to Enugu, with the aviation sector expected to play a key role in supporting those targets.
“At inception, what we had planned was to move Enugu State’s GDP from the $4.4 billion that His Excellency inherited to $30 billion by 2031,” he stated.
The SSG noted that Enugu Air was established to guarantee reliable access to the state rather than relying solely on the schedules of third-party airlines.
“If we’re expecting visitors and tourists, we can’t depend entirely on external airlines to bring people into Enugu. That was how the Enugu Air concept came in,” Onyia said, revealing that the airline currently operates six aircraft as part of its first phase of expansion.
He added that the state government was simultaneously revitalising tourist destinations across Enugu to provide attractive experiences for incoming visitors.
“The second component was to revitalise our tourism sector by developing various tourism centres, including waterfalls and other attractions across the state,” he explained.
Beyond tourism, Onyia said the airport infrastructure would support Enugu’s agricultural development agenda through cargo operations designed to facilitate the movement of goods in and out of the state.
“This will also help our agricultural investment outlook because this is where the cargo terminal will be, creating the economic hub we envision for Enugu as the capital of the South-East,” he said.
The SSG further disclosed that the government had adopted a private sector-led model for the aviation sector to ensure efficiency, professionalism and long-term sustainability.
He noted that international expertise had been leveraged to build the airline’s operational capacity before transitioning to a governance structure managed by competent professionals outside government circles.
Providing an update on the airport concession process, Onyia revealed that October had been set as the timeline for the next phase of implementation.
“Today’s activity is one of the milestones we were expected to achieve. Once completed, the concessionaire and contractors can move fully to the site for the commencement of major activities,” he said.
Onyia also commended President Bola Tinubu for supporting the initiative and facilitating approvals through relevant federal agencies.
“Without the vision and support of the President, this process might have remained on the drawing board. He played a pivotal role by ensuring the relevant agencies worked through due process while recognising the importance of timely execution,” he stated.
The media tour was organised to highlight projects being executed under the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda across key sectors of the economy. The exercise was led by the Presidential Communications Team, headed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
In January, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, signed a concession agreement with Aero Alliance for the operation of the Enugu airport following approval by the Federal Executive Council in July 2025.
Keyamo had described the agreement as the culmination of a long process aimed at repositioning the airport as a catalyst for economic growth and regional connectivity in the South-East.
Under the arrangement, ownership of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport remains with the Federal Government, while the private concessionaire assumes responsibility for operating, maintaining and upgrading the facility to improve efficiency and unlock new investment opportunities within the aviation sector.
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