President Bola Tinubu has welcomed a proposal by Airbus to establish maintenance and hangar facilities in Nigeria, describing the move as a strategic step towards positioning the country as a regional aerospace and aviation services hub.

The President made this known on Thursday during a meeting with an Airbus delegation led by Thierry Cloutet, Head of Regional Business Growth for Africa and the Middle East, on the sidelines of the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali, Rwanda.

Tinubu also stressed Nigeria’s urgent need for modern helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft to strengthen security operations, logistics and other national development efforts amid ongoing counterterrorism campaigns in parts of the country.

According to a statement issued by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, the President urged Airbus to accelerate the delivery of three Apache helicopters already ordered by Nigeria.

“Nigeria needs attack helicopters urgently that can be used to confront and overwhelm terrorists. That is my priority now,” Tinubu said.

The discussions also covered Nigeria’s acquisition of the Airbus C-295 platform, broader defence aviation cooperation, and financing arrangements aimed at improving access to aircraft for local operators.

Both parties explored aircraft leasing and financing models, including export credit arrangements, sale-and-lease-back structures and long-term financing solutions designed to ease constraints in the aviation sector.

Tinubu further discussed the possibility of establishing an aviation leasing company in Nigeria to unlock opportunities across the aviation value chain and improve financing access for domestic airlines and operators.

Cloutet commended the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms and efforts to stabilise Nigeria’s aviation industry, while reaffirming Airbus’ interest in supporting the country’s long-term aerospace development goals.

He also proposed what he described as a “360-degree engagement” model with Nigeria, covering commercial aviation, military aircraft cooperation, human capital development, sustainability initiatives, operational hubs and maintenance infrastructure.

The proposed partnership would also include collaboration in satellite and Earth observation technology.