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Keyamo writes IATA over Osubi Airport code
🇳🇬 Nigeria /Energy & Infrastructure

Keyamo writes IATA over Osubi Airport code

From Vanguard · () English

Summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Nigeria's Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo has asked the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to change the three-letter code for Osubi Airport.
  • Keyamo stated the current code, QRW, does not accurately reflect the airport's name and location in Osubi town, Delta State.
  • The minister directed airlines and aviation agencies to use the proper designation and suggested alternative codes like OSU or OSB.

Nigeria's Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, is pushing for a change to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) code for Osubi Airport. He argues the current three-letter code, QRW, fails to accurately represent the airport's name and its physical location in Osubi town, near Warri in Delta State.

While the airport is sometimes informally identified as Warri Airport because it serves the Warri metropolitan area, Federal Government has emphasised that its established and appropriate geographical designation is Osubi Airport.

— Tunde MoshoodStatement from the Minister's Special Adviser on Media and Communications explaining the rationale behind the request.

The minister has formally requested IATA to review the code. He also issued a directive to all airlines operating at the airport, mandating that flight tickets, luggage tags, boarding passes, and other passenger-facing documents must clearly reflect the airport's proper designation as Osubi, Delta State. This aims to enhance clarity and reduce potential confusion for travelers and stakeholders.

Federal government is therefore asking IATA to initiate a formal review of the existing code and, subject to IATA’s applicable coding standards and the availability of suitable combinations, consider a three-letter code that bears a clearer relationship to the name Osubi.

— Tunde MoshoodStatement from the Minister's Special Adviser on Media and Communications detailing the request to IATA.

While the airport is often referred to as Warri Airport due to its service to the metropolitan area, the Federal Government emphasizes that its official geographical designation is Osubi Airport. Keyamo suggested potential alternative codes such as OSU, OSB, SUB, or QSB, acknowledging that the final decision rests with IATA's established procedures and code availability.

The minister said aligning the airport’s IATA code more closely with its official name and physical location would strengthen the airport’s identity, reduce potential ambiguity for passengers and other stakeholders, and promote consistency across aviation, travel, ticketing, baggage and related information systems.

— Tunde MoshoodStatement from the Minister's Special Adviser on Media and Communications on the benefits of aligning the IATA code.

Furthermore, Keyamo has instructed aviation agencies, including the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), to ensure consistent use and enforcement of the proper designation across their systems and records. The initiative seeks to guarantee geographical and operational accuracy without creating confusion regarding the airport's role in serving the wider Warri region.

The minister stressed that the clarification is intended to ensure geographical and operational accuracy, rather than create confusion around the airport’s role in serving the wider Warri metropolitan area.

— Tunde MoshoodStatement from the Minister's Special Adviser on Media and Communications on the objective of the clarification.
About this summary

Originally published by Vanguard. Summarized and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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