By EMAMEH GABRIEL
Benin City once occupied a special place in West African aviation. Its name was inseparable from Okada Air, the private carrier founded by Chief Gabriel Igbinedion in 1983, which grew from a modest domestic operator into one of Africa’s largest independent airlines. At its height, Okada Air flew Boeing 747s on international charters, ferried pilgrims to Mecca and employed thousands. The steady flow of passengers, cargo and aircraft made Benin a big commercial gateway.
That traffic had deep roots. Migration was so ingrained in Edo State that a United Nations report concluded virtually every Benin family had at least one member abroad, while a European Union agency found it hard to identify an extended family in parts of Benin City from which no one had travelled to Europe. That constant movement of people, goods and money created the demand on which aviation business thrived, making Benin City a natural base for one of Africa’s largest independent carriers.
Those days faded. Okada Air stopped flying in 1997. Poor management, a hostile operating environment, regulatory uncertainty, and the general decay of Nigeria’s aviation sector all took their toll. Okada Air’s exit was part of a wider challenge that affected both public and private carriers across the country. In the years that followed, Benin Airport saw its operations diminish and passenger traffic dip as travellers gravitated elsewhere, and it gradually lost the prominent hub status it once commanded on the national stage.
I have taken us through the past because Governor Monday Okpebholo’s decision to pursue Edo Air is not happening in a vacuum. The aviation industry, for the first time in a long while, has begun to breathe again. Under President Bola Tinubu, the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, led by Festus Keyamo, has pursued structural reforms that address the problems that have historically hobbled Nigerian carriers.
The evidence is visible across the country. Ibom Air, owned by the Akwa Ibom government, began operations in 2019 and has since carried nearly five million passengers on more than 65,000 flights. Its revenue grew to N96 billion, with a strong EBITDA margin of 35 per cent and a net profit of N6.8 billion, reflecting the airline’s continued expansion. It now flies to Accra and has plans for Douala, Libreville and Malabo, with its fleet expanded to ten aircraft. Enugu Air, launched in July 2025 under Governor Peter Mbah, started with three Embraer aircraft and has secured approval for a Lagos–London Gatwick route, with flights set to begin in December 2026.
In Kano, Governor Abba Yusuf has announced plans for Kano Airline, expected to commence operations within a year. In the North East, the governors of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe have committed N10 billion in counterpart funding for a regional carrier, a significant step toward regional connectivity. What this means is that governors are beginning to treat aviation as infrastructure for economic diversification, not as a prestige project.
On Wednesday, November 4, 2026, Edo State Governor, His Excellency Senator Monday Okpebholo, signed an MoU with China Express Airline and KDN Aero. The signing at Government House, Benin City, was the formalisation of a partnership that followed a seven-man delegation’s visit to China on September 14, 2026, where the team inspected China Express’s operations and assessed its capacity to serve as a technical partner. The Secretary to the State Government, Umar Musa Ikhilor, has described the MoU as a foundational framework. The governor himself has said the carrier will operate “very soon”.
It is a welcome development that Okpebholo is pushing this agenda, given the state’s strategic position in the industry. Benin City was home to one of Africa’s largest independent airlines. Okada Air proved that a carrier based in Benin could compete at the highest level. If Ibom Air can make Uyo a regional gateway, there is no reason Edo Air cannot do the same for Benin City.
Sceptics have argued that a subnational government has no business investing in the aviation sector, that sinking public funds into an airline when rural roads, healthcare, and basic infrastructure demand attention is fiscal recklessness. Regional proposals elsewhere have naturally drawn sharp criticism from commentators questioning priorities. But writing off state backed aviation as a blanket mistake misses the fundamental mechanics of how modern regional economies operate. The difference between success and failure is not the sector itself; it is cold, uncompromising governance. Ibom Air’s profitability is not an accident of geography or state benevolence, it is a working blueprint in commercial discipline, built on ring-fenced operations, professional staffing that bypasses political patronage, and a structural firewall separating the board from the treasury. Enugu Air’s partnership model with XEJET similarly proves that state ambition can be safely channelled through private-sector operating rigour. Governor Okpebholo’s choice to anchor Edo Air in a technical partnership with established operators rather than trying to build a bureaucratic monolith from scratch suggests an acute understanding of this principle. When run as critical economic infrastructure rather than a political toy, an airline stops being a drain and starts acting as a force multiplier for trade and capital.
The memorandum of understanding is only one of the first, yet critical phases. The real work now begins: securing regulatory certification, acquiring the fleet, planning the routes, structuring the finances and doing the slow, patient work of building an airline that can stand on its own. The governor has taken a bold step to plant Edo State’s feet firmly in the aviation sector in a structured and purposeful manner that will transform Edo Air from a seed of an idea into a budding partnership.
The underutilised capacity at Benin Airport and the traffic that has historically flowed through other states are exactly why this move matters. Edo State produces trade, travel and human capital that currently leak through airports in other states. A well run Edo Air would capture some of that value, reverse the traffic drain, create jobs and send a clear signal that the state is no longer content to be a passenger in Nigeria’s aviation story. Crucially, the terminal building at Benin Airport has been rehabilitated and expanded by the federal government, while runway lighting has been installed to enable night flight operations.
The technical case is just as strong. Benin City sits at the heart of a region with real economic activity in oil and gas, agriculture and education. The passenger demand is there. With sound financial structuring and management shielded from political interference, Edo Air can operate as a business rather than as a political trophy. The governor has planted a seed. With sustained commitment and the courage to do things differently, that seed can grow into a tree that generations of Edo people will point to with pride.
His Excellency, Governor Monday Okpebholo deserves credit for spotting the opportunity. Execution, however, is the harder part. The reforms in Abuja are taking care of the first leg. The second leg rests with the governor and the team he assembles around this project.
The federal government also deserves commendation. The people of Edo appreciate the efforts so far, and we commend the Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN) for the reforms that are reshaping the sector. We appeal, however, for more support in any areas that require federal attention, whether in route approvals, regulatory facilitation or infrastructure investment. With that support, Edo Air will not just be a state carrier; it will be a national asset.
Edo Air has been cleared for takeoff.
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