Aero Contractors Boss Asks Where Aviation Fits in Renewed Hope Agenda

Captain Ado Sanusi wants the Federal Government to invest more in aviation. He leads Aero Contractors. He says the sector must be a clear part of the Renewed Hope Agenda. Otherwise, Nigeria could lose aviation jobs and capital to rival destinations.

Sanusi spoke in Lagos at the airline’s 67th anniversary. The theme was “Going the Extra Mile.”

Warning of “Ghost Airports”

Sanusi said weak spending could hollow out Nigeria’s airports. This includes airport infrastructure, aviation services and maintenance capacity.

Neighbouring countries are already building new facilities. They want to attract Nigerian passengers, airlines and related businesses.

Other regions have used aviation to drive growth. Sanusi cited the Gulf and East Africa. There, the sector has boosted tourism, trade, jobs and foreign investment.

A new mega-airport and a major maintenance hub are rising just across the border. Both are a few minutes’ flight from Lagos. They appear able to serve the Nigerian market.

“If we do not respond strategically and soon, we risk our airports becoming ghost airports,” he warned. Hangars could fall silent, he said. Jobs and investment could also slip across the border.

A Question for the President

Sanusi welcomed the government’s spending on roads, power and agriculture. He also praised work at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

Still, he said aviation needs more focused attention in the economic plan.

“Mr. President, I must respectfully ask: Where is Aviation in the Renewed Hope agenda?” he said.

67 Years in the Air

Aero Contractors is Nigeria’s oldest airline, Sanusi said. It began in 1959 as a charter and crop-spraying operator. Later, it served the oil and gas industry.

Over time, the airline added more services:

• Scheduled passenger flights
• Charter and helicopter services
• Maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO)
• Pilot training

The airline has survived hard times. At one point, its whole fleet was grounded. Operations stopped.

“We have grounded fleets and empty hangars and still, we flew,” Sanusi said. He recalled months without a single aircraft in the sky. Staff went unpaid, and colleagues died.

He credited engineers, pilots, cabin crew and ground staff for staying the course.

Maintenance Milestone and Turnaround

Sanusi also pointed to the airline’s maintenance record. In January 2018, it completed a C-check on a Boeing 737 at its Lagos hangar. He called it Nigeria’s first local Boeing 737 C-check in 14 years. It was also a landmark for West and Central Africa, he said.

Today, the MRO facility services other airlines across West Africa. Aero Contractors operates as an integrated aviation business.

Its finances have improved too. The operating margin stood at minus 134 per cent in 2022. By 2025, it had turned positive.

Sanusi said part of the recovery came from the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON). It took a majority stake in 2016. He thanked AMCON and the airline’s Receiver/Manager, Senator Adeniyi Ayodele Adegbonmire.

He called Aero Contractors a “national treasure.” He asked the government to support its growth.

“God willing, we will keep flying,” he said.