FAAN, FCI sign pact on construction of Aviation Expo centre

Efforts to improve the airport landscape received a boost at the weekend as the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) signed an agreement with FCI International Limited  to build an Aviation Expo Centre at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

The Aviation Expo Centre will serve as a venue for major industry events.

Disclosing this while handing over the letter for the land lease agreement to the Managing Director, FCI International Limited, Mr Fortune Idi,  FAAN’s Managing Director, Captain Hamisu Yadudu, said the facility will serve the needs of the industry.

Yadudu’s message was conyeyed in a letter conveyed to Idu by the Company Secretary / Legal Adviser as well as Head of Directorate of Legal Services, Mr Clifford Imade Omozeghian.

The terms of the agreement include  setting up a permanent befitting centre for development and international trade promotion within the corridor of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport called the Nigeria Aviation (NIGAV) Conference and Exhibition Centre.

The 2500 square kilometer  centre, according to the FAAN boss  is to project the best of Nigeria’s businesses and enterprises as well as stand as a centre for the promotion of industry   excellence.

The centre  billed to  take off early next year is planned through three development stages as envisioned by Mr. Idu.

He said : “ The first stage is to develop a 1000 sitter capacity hall that can hold 100 exhibition booths where all kinds of industry activities including open-to-public ceremonies can be held.

“Then the second stage is to expand by building meeting rooms, cafeteria for workshop and business hub meetings and the third stage will be a multistory facility with aerial hall, underground parking, meeting rooms, recreation and learning facilities.

“Centres of such at the international airport axis’s   are often considered as investor’s gateway and the foresight to sign this project by the Managing Director of FAAN is in line with the President Buhari’s administration’s mandate of increasing indigenous capacity in creating wealth by opening a platform within the airport corridors where the numerous indigenous produce can be showcased for export market using the air cargo services.

“Exhibition and conference is a uniting force and it will bring people from all over the world to Nigeria. This of course means greater air traffic flow to Nigeria and with direct impact on the aviation economy and the Nigeria economy too.”

He described the NIGAV centre as  a win-win for the air transport industry and Nigeria.

He said : “ It is planned to start hosting events from February 2020 such as the Airport Business Summit and Expo, OPITeX for the oil and gas pipeline expo, NIMPORT, Agro Air Logistics Conference, WedExpo and hopefully the next Nigeria award will be held at the centre in 2020.