Finchglow Holdings is advancing plans for a private flying school at Gateway Airport, Ogun State, pending regulatory and airport approvals.
The proposed facility will target aspiring pilots from Nigeria and across West Africa. Group Managing Director of Finchglow Holdings, Mr. Bankole Bernard, disclosed the plan during a briefing.
Bernard said the proposed flying school responds to demand from students seeking professional pilot training. He also said concerns about existing options could be pushing some students towards overseas training.
“The good news is that we have a lot of students within the West Coast that want to come to [Nigeria], but the news they heard about [existing training options] is making them not be able to go there.”
According to Bernard, some prospective pilots could eventually abandon their ambitions because of those challenges. Others, he said, may choose destinations such as South Africa, the United Kingdom or the United States.
“So, they will either abort the dream, or they now have to fly outside their country, maybe to South Africa, London, or America.”
Therefore, Finchglow sees an opportunity to create another training option within Nigeria. The company also hopes to attract students from neighbouring West African countries.
Flying school targets West African training market
Bernard said Finchglow is waiting for the required regulatory approval before proceeding with the project. The company is also seeking approval from Gateway Airport for space where construction and related works can commence.
“We have said to ourselves, we’re hoping that when the approval comes out, we’ll take our school to the Gateway so that we can open that chapter of our thesis.”
The regulatory process will be important because aviation training organisations must meet requirements established by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). The proposed facility would therefore need to satisfy the applicable requirements before commencing training.
Nigeria already has established aviation training institutions. The Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, operates a flying school offering professional pilot training and other aviation courses.
The International Aviation College, Ilorin, is another established training institution. The Kwara State-backed college offers pilot training, including private and commercial pilot programmes.
Finchglow’s proposed school would therefore enter a market with established Nigerian providers. However, Bernard’s comments indicate that the company is looking beyond Nigeria’s existing student pool.
The West African market is central to the proposal. Finchglow believes students from the region could consider Nigeria if a credible training option is available locally.
Finchglow says price will not drive flying school strategy
The question of how Finchglow intends to attract students was central to the briefing. Bernard was asked what the company would use to compete with existing schools and overseas training destinations.
His response suggested that the company would not build its strategy around being the cheapest provider. Instead, he stressed the importance of creating a training offering that appeals to prospective students.
“We cannot start talking about availability, because what is important first is to create something that will even appeal to the people.”
Bernard also addressed the issue of pricing and training standards. He said Finchglow recognised that maintaining standards could require a different pricing structure.
“Price is not in competition. When we started here too, we realized that if we are going to keep to the standards, we have to charge something different from others.”
That position could become significant as aspiring pilots consider the cost of professional training. During the briefing, approximately ₦20 million was cited for an 18-to-24-month initial pilot-training programme at an existing Nigerian institution.
However, the ₦20 million figure was not identified as Finchglow’s proposed tuition. It provides context for the financial commitment required from aspiring pilots.
The cost of training can also influence whether students choose domestic or overseas options. Students travelling abroad may face additional expenses for accommodation, transportation and living costs.
Finchglow could therefore seek to attract students through the overall quality and appeal of its programme rather than competing solely on fees.
Gateway could emerge as aviation training hub
The proposed Gateway location could give the flying school access to an operational aviation environment. It could also position the facility to serve students from Nigeria and other West African countries.
However, attracting international students would depend on several factors. These include regulatory approval, training standards, aircraft availability, curriculum, certification and eventual tuition fees.
The project could also contribute to Nigeria’s aviation manpower development. Airlines and other operators require qualified pilots to support growing flight operations and fleet expansion.
Increasing domestic training capacity could help strengthen that manpower pipeline. However, the eventual impact would depend on the school’s capacity, graduate output and the standards achieved by its students.
For Finchglow, the proposed flying school is also an opportunity to retain more aviation training expenditure within the region. Bernard’s comments suggest that some students currently spend significant resources training outside their home countries.
Several details about the project remain undisclosed. These include the proposed name, student capacity, aircraft fleet, course structure, certification pathway and tuition fees.
The immediate priorities are securing regulatory approval and obtaining approval from Gateway Airport for the space required to commence work.
For now, Finchglow’s plan remains subject to those approvals. If secured, the flying school would add a private-sector option to Nigeria’s aviation training landscape.
As Bernard put it, the company hopes to “open that chapter” once the necessary approvals are secured
