Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, Professor Obiora Okonkwo, has warned that weak Transit Infrastructure is restricting Nigeria’s ambition to function as a true aviation hub. He said the absence of structured transit facilities at major airports is undermining domestic connectivity and long-haul expansion. Therefore, indigenous carriers remain trapped in fragmented routing models.
Speaking on operational realities, Professor Okonkwo explained that Transit Infrastructure determines whether a country can sustain hub-and-spoke operations and the evolving prospects of aircraft acquisition through the Cape Town Convention Practice Direction (CPC).
He stressed that without seamless passenger transfer systems, airlines cannot efficiently link regional, continental and intercontinental traffic. Meanwhile, Nigeria continues to operate largely as a point-to-point market.
Transit Infrastructure and Hub Development
Professor Okonkwo described the lack of primary transit facilities as a major structural weakness.
“It’s a big concern for us operators that we don’t have a transit facility in our airports. It makes it very difficult to create a hub in Nigeria,” he said.
He explained that effective Transit Infrastructure requires sterile transit corridors, integrated baggage handling systems and airside passenger segregation. In addition, passengers should not be forced to exit and re-enter terminals during onward connections. Without these elements, load optimisation and aircraft utilisation suffer.
According to him, hub status depends on allowing passengers to connect without clearing full immigration or reprocessing baggage.
“If those things are not in place, it will be very, very difficult for us to achieve our aim of flying to the longer regions, continental and intercontinental,” he stated.
Currently, Lagos and Abuja serve as domestic concentration points. However, the absence of proper Transit Infrastructure forces passengers to disembark fully before onward travel. Consequently, this weakens Nigeria’s competitiveness against established African transit hubs.
Professor Okonkwo confirmed that discussions are ongoing with Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria. He expressed optimism that policy engagement will deliver measurable progress.
“We’re very hopeful that the engagement we’re having with the Minister and FAAN will yield results. The minister is very particular about this,” he said.
He added that a functional transit system would allow passengers to remain airside.
“You don’t need to check out and check in. You should be able to also have a transit visa if you don’t want to go into the country.”
Further details on FAAN’s airport modernisation efforts are available on the official FAAN website: https://faan.gov.ng.
Meanwhile, NigerianFLIGHTDECK previously reported on related airport reform efforts here: https://nigerianflightdeck.com/why-lagos-airport-is-getting-a-phased-makeover/
Connectivity Strategy Linked to Transit Infrastructure
Professor Okonkwo linked Transit Infrastructure reforms to United Nigeria’s network strategy. He revealed that the airline is designing a multi-city connectivity product to strengthen domestic feed traffic. However, this strategy depends heavily on structured transit arrangements.
“We want to be able to take a student living in Ekiti but going to Port Harcourt, Kano or Enugu,” he explained.
He emphasised that journeys should not terminate in Lagos or Abuja alone. Instead, passengers should arrive and proceed seamlessly to secondary destinations. Therefore, Transit Infrastructure becomes central to domestic network integration.
“We don’t want the student’s journey to terminate in Lagos or Abuja. We want to be able to take the person beyond Lagos and Abuja in a transit arrangement.”
Such a model would support higher load factors and reduce route fragmentation. In addition, it would position Nigeria to aggregate regional traffic flows. However, without enabling Transit Infrastructure, the model remains constrained.
CPC and Dry Lease Access
Beyond infrastructure, Professor Okonkwo addressed fleet expansion prospects under the Cape Town Convention Practice Direction. Nigeria’s improved compliance rating has strengthened confidence among global lessors. Consequently, access to dry lease aircraft may improve gradually.
He commended the Minister’s role in advancing the legal framework.
“We are aware of the progress that has been made with the Cape Town Convention Practice Direction. The new rating we have now is higher than most countries in Europe,” he said.
However, he cautioned that aircraft availability remains cyclical. Global manufacturing backlogs at Original Equipment Manufacturers continue to delay deliveries. Therefore, immediate fleet expansion remains unlikely.
“Aircraft is not something that is like in the warehouse for you to pick,” he noted.
He disclosed that discussions with lessors are ongoing and agreement signings are progressing. Nevertheless, he projected that meaningful aircraft inflow may materialise more fully from 2027. By then, previously committed aircraft may return to lessors as OEM production stabilises.
“We see this materialising to a very fruitful position from the year 2027,” he stated.
Strategic Implications
Professor Okonkwo’s remarks underscore that Transit Infrastructure remains the foundation of hub viability. Legal reforms alone cannot deliver network transformation without physical transit systems. Meanwhile, dry lease access through CPC reforms provides long-term fleet stability.
If both elements converge, Nigerian carriers could reposition competitively within Africa. However, until Transit Infrastructure gaps are resolved, Nigeria’s hub ambitions will remain technically constrained.
