The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, on Thursday disclosed that the government was operating many airports in the country at a loss.

Speaking at the signing of the concession agreement for the Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo International Airport, Port Harcourt, popularly known as Port Harcourt International Airport, the minister explained that the government was introducing private sector participation in the management of some airports in Nigeria to facilitate their development.

“The reasoning behind it is that some of our airports are being run at a loss. We should say it the way it is. The MD of FAAN is here to attest to that.

“To lay it bare before you, we make so much money from some of our primary airports, so much money from our major gateways, and then most of those profits are ploughed into running some of the other airports that are run at a loss”.

Keyamo stated further: “If you know what it means to run an airport from morning to evening, you have to pay personnel, you have to run diesel generators, you have to do so much. And government is also very constrained for funds to even expand the use of these airports, especially the non-aeronautical parts of these airports.

“So much can be done in terms of the non-aeronautical parts of these airports. There is so much potential to expand the use and operation of these airports. But because government is also constrained, we have to bring in private participation to help us to run some of these airports”.

The minister revealed that the concession agreement was signed with Port Court Airport Company for 30 years.

“We have gone through all the processes with the unions. I am sure before this signing ceremony, you saw that we had a session with the unions first.

“Just the same thing we did with the Enugu Airport, to stave off any kind of protests,” he said, assuring that no worker would lose their job because of the airport concession.

“The conditions of service should remain the same, and that we should give them that comfort.

“The comfort we have given to the workers in the airports we have concessioned so far, which is Enugu, and of course, Port Harcourt now,” he stated.

Also speaking before the signing of the concession agreement, the Group Executive of R28 Holding, promoters of the project, Ayo Asuquo, assured Nigerians that the standards “we enjoy in other parts of the world, that we will bring it to bear. That the facilities we see in well-put-up airports, that we will bring it to bear.

“Our goal is to be able to bring value to all stakeholders, community, staff, government, and investors. So we are going to open the investment to anybody who is also interested. Our dream is that Port Harcourt International Airport will be the hub for the Gulf of Guinea.

“There is so much activity in the Gulf of Guinea. But nobody is hopping. Port Harcourt is well-positioned for that. And this is our promise to you,” he concluded. (Nigerian Tribune)