Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation and aerospace development, met with Yu Dunhai, Chinese ambassador to Nigeria, and a delegation from the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), on Tuesday, to discuss partnerships for advancing Nigeria’s aviation sector.
Yang Yang, the vice-president of the marketing and sales committee, led the COMAC delegation, which included Michael C. Luo, technology director; Deng Zhiliang, deputy head of the marketing department; Tim Chen, vice-president of AVIC-KDN Airport Engineering Co. Ltd; and Ma Mengyao, general manager of AVIC-KDN Airport Engineering, in Nigeria.
In a statement on Wednesday, Tunde Moshood, special adviser on media and communications to the minister, said the meetings were held separately in Abuja.
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Dunhai reaffirmed the Chinese government’s dedication to supporting the minister’s vision for developing Nigeria’s aviation industry.
He highlighted aviation as a key catalyst for economic development and enhanced connectivity, noting that Nigeria, ranked as the sixth most populous nation globally and the giant of Africa, offers immense opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation.
“Nigeria has the market, and I see the potential. The economy is going to bounce back soon, and China is ready to be a reliable partner in this growth trajectory,” Dunhai said.
In a separate meeting, the vice-president of COMAC’s marketing and sales committee held discussions on possible areas of collaboration with Nigerian airlines — particularly in aircraft leasing, technical support services, and long-term cooperation.
Moshood said Keyamo, who had earlier visited COMAC’s headquarters in China, welcomed the discussions and reaffirmed Nigeria’s readiness for strategic partnerships with the Chinese aviation giant.
“We are ready for this collaboration and will soon lead a delegation of domestic airline executives to COMAC’s headquarters to deepen these discussions,” the minister said.
“Nigeria is open to allowing COMAC to use our country as a base to access the wider African market.”
According to the statement, the twin visits mark a significant step in strengthening Nigeria-China aviation relations and open new frontiers for domestic airlines to access modern aircraft leasing and support services tailored to Nigeria’s expanding aviation market.
