Tinubu seeks faster delivery of attack helicopters from Airbus

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has welcomed a proposal by Airbus to establish aircraft maintenance and hangar facilities in Nigeria, as part of efforts to position the country as a regional hub for aviation services.

The President made this known during a meeting with an Airbus delegation led by Thierry Cloutet, Head of Regional Business Growth for Africa and the Middle East, on the sidelines of the Africa CEO Forum held in Kigali, Rwanda.

Tinubu said his administration is keen on strengthening its partnership with Airbus, particularly in the areas of military aviation and aerospace development, to support national security and economic growth.

He stressed the urgent need for modern air assets, including helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, to boost security operations and logistics across the country. The President specifically called for the expedited delivery of three Apache helicopters already ordered by Nigeria.

“Nigeria needs attack helicopters urgently that can be used to confront and overwhelm terrorists. That is my priority now,” he said.

Discussions at the meeting also covered Nigeria’s acquisition of the Airbus C-295 aircraft platform, defence aviation cooperation, and financing options such as export credit arrangements, sale-and-lease-back models, and long-term funding solutions aimed at improving access to aircraft for local operators.

Tinubu further explored the possibility of establishing an aviation leasing company to strengthen Nigeria’s aviation value chain and ease financing constraints within the sector.

In his remarks, Cloutet commended the administration’s economic reforms and efforts to stabilise the aviation industry. He reiterated Airbus’ commitment to supporting Nigeria’s long-term aerospace development goals.

He also proposed a “360-degree engagement” framework with Nigeria, encompassing commercial aviation, military cooperation, human capital development, sustainability initiatives, maintenance infrastructure, and operational hubs.

The proposed partnership would also extend to collaboration in satellite technology and Earth observation systems.

The meeting forms part of ongoing efforts by the Tinubu administration to modernise Nigeria’s aviation sector and enhance its capacity to support both economic and security objectives.