The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has revealed that Nigeria’s airports are being operated at a financial loss, stressing that without the involvement of private investors, the federal government will continue to bear unsustainable operational costs.

Speaking recently on the state of the country’s aviation infrastructure, Keyamo said only a handful of airports generate enough revenue to cover their expenses, while the majority are heavily subsidized by the federal government.

He cited high operational costs and poor financial returns as key challenges, making many of the airports financially unviable.

“Our major airports are struggling. The smaller ones are not viable at all and are being run at a loss. We are only able to keep them operational through government subsidies,” he said.

He specifically pointed out that power supply is one of the most expensive components of airport operations. According to the minister, both the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja spend over ₦1 billion monthly on electricity, relying heavily on diesel-powered generators due to unreliable public supply.

“These airports are running generators round the clock because of unreliable public power supply. This alone eats deep into the budget. It is not something the government can continue to carry alone,” Keyamo stated.

He said the government is exploring options to attract private investors through concessions or public-private partnerships to reduce the financial burden and improve efficiency across the sector. He confirmed that proposals have been received for the concession of five major airports—Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano, and Enugu—but added that no final decision has been made.

Keyamo assured that any concession process would be handled transparently and in compliance with regulatory requirements.

He said the government was committed to consulting widely, including with aviation unions and the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, before presenting any final proposal to the Federal Executive Council for approval.