The Managing Director and Chief Executive of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs Olubunmi Onabanjo-Kuku, has challenged Ghana’s airport management to adopt market-driven development strategies that reflect the peculiar needs of passengers and the economic potential of different locations.
She said African airport operators must move away from treating airports primarily as transportation facilities and begin to recognise their broader responsibilities as catalysts for economic growth, employment generation, trade and social development.
Onabanjo-Kuku gave the advice at the 20th anniversary celebration of the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), where she participated as a Special Guest and panellist at the anniversary lecture and awards held on Monday, November 9, 2026.
The event, which celebrated GACL’s two decades of managing and developing Ghana’s airports, was held under the theme, “A Legacy of Resilience, Developing Further, Serving Better.”
The anniversary attracted key government officials and aviation industry stakeholders, including Ghana’s Vice President, Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, who delivered the keynote address and highlighted the importance of developing safe and globally competitive airports.
The Chief of Staff to the President, Julius Debrah, attended as Special Guest of Honour, while GACL Managing Director, Yvonne Nana Afriyie Opare, hosted the gathering.
Speaking during the panel discussion, the FAAN chief said airport authorities needed to reconsider their traditional approach to measuring the performance and economic contributions of their facilities, arguing that passenger traffic alone could not provide a complete picture of an airport’s value to society.
She explained that the aviation industry’s economic impact extended beyond the direct employment and business activities generated within airport premises to include a much wider network of jobs and commercial opportunities.
Citing global figures, she said aviation and airports accounted for approximately 8.5 million direct jobs, while their indirect contributions supported about 65 million jobs.
According to her, the difference between the direct and indirect employment figures underscores the need for airport managers to understand the wider economic implications of their operations and investments.
“Aviation or airports globally contribute about 8.5 million jobs, but if you look at the indirect contribution, it’s about 65 million,” she said.”That tells you that our job, our role and our responsibility do not stop within the airport.”
Onabanjo-Kuku, who supervises the management of 22 airports across Nigeria, said her experience had reinforced the importance of viewing aviation as an essential component of national economic development rather than simply a means of moving people from one destination to another.
“I have stopped describing the airport and aviation as a mode of transport because it’s a critical factor in our socio-economic growth,” she stated.
She explained that airports had different operational characteristics, passenger volumes and economic significance, making it inappropriate for authorities to apply identical development models across all facilities.
While some airports might generate substantial passenger traffic, others could serve important economic purposes through their connections to agricultural production, industrial activities, tourism, trade and other sectors.
She therefore urged airport managers to develop a better understanding of the economic environment surrounding their facilities and integrate airport development into broader regional and national development plans.
“There’s absolutely no reason why we should consider airport development in isolation from the entire economic development of travel,” she said.
The FAAN managing director also emphasised that passengers must remain central to airport management decisions, arguing that the long-term sustainability of the aviation industry depended on the ability of operators to provide safe, affordable and satisfactory services.
She noted that passengers were the foundation of the aviation business, as airlines and airport operators depended on their patronage to sustain operations and generate revenue.
According to her, airport authorities must strike a balance between generating revenue, maintaining safety and security standards, and ensuring that the cost of travelling does not become unnecessarily burdensome for passengers.
“What’s important is to make sure that the cost of travel is reasonable and affordable, that the passengers are kept safe and that they have the best experience when travelling through the airports or through the aircraft that are provided by the airline,” she said.
Onabanjo-Kuku further urged airport operators to rethink their commercial strategies, particularly their approach to concessions and the generation of non-aeronautical revenue.
She argued that commercial facilities within airports should be developed based on the spending patterns, preferences and expectations of passengers using particular airports.
According to her, airport managers should not simply replicate commercial offerings from one airport to another without first establishing whether such products and services meet the needs of their respective markets.
She illustrated the point with duty-free retail operations, questioning the wisdom of concentrating on products such as perfumes when passengers might prefer to purchase them at their destinations.
“There’s absolutely no reason why in my airport I should just have duty-free concessions selling perfumes—I can buy perfumes at my destination,” she remarked.
She said market segmentation and localised commercial strategies would enable airport authorities to identify more appropriate business opportunities, improve the passenger experience and maximise the revenue potential of their facilities.
The Nigerian airport chief also addressed the persistent concerns surrounding the cost of air travel, acknowledging that several charges imposed by airport authorities, governments and other aviation stakeholders contribute to the final amount paid by passengers.
She identified passenger service charges, security charges and Ghana’s newly introduced airport development charge among the airport-related costs, while noting that government taxes and airline operating expenses also form part of the overall cost structure.
She cautioned against attributing the high cost of air travel solely to airport charges, stressing the need for a comprehensive assessment of the different components that determine ticket prices in both countries.
The FAAN boss expressed readiness to work with her Ghanaian counterpart, Opare, to examine the various charges and identify areas where cooperation could produce efficiencies and possible cost reductions.
“I’m happy to sit with my sister Yvonne and do a fair decomposition, because it’s not just the airport charge—there are other government taxes across both countries,” she said.
She added that Nigeria and Ghana could explore synergies and opportunities for reducing the financial burden on travellers while ensuring that airport operators retained the resources required to maintain infrastructure and deliver efficient services.
Onabanjo-Kuku also praised GACL for its resilience and resourcefulness over the past 20 years, commending the company for its efforts in managing and developing Ghana’s airport infrastructure.
She encouraged the organisation to sustain its achievements while adopting more innovative approaches to airport management, commercial development and passenger services.
Concluding her remarks, she urged Ghana’s airport management to focus on understanding the different categories of passengers and businesses they serve and developing strategies that reflect local market realities.
“Ghana, you’re already on track. I am leaving you with two phrases: segment your market and localise your strategy,” she said.
Her participation at the anniversary celebration underscored the growing importance of cooperation among African airport authorities in addressing common industry challenges, including infrastructure financing, operational efficiency, passenger satisfaction and the affordability of air travel.
The discussions also highlighted the need for airport operators across West Africa to explore opportunities for knowledge-sharing and joint initiatives that would strengthen regional aviation, improve the commercial sustainability of airports and expand the sector’s contribution to economic development.
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