The data which was released on Wednesday was provided by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and verified and validated by the National Bureau of Statistics ( NBS), showed that the total number of international passengers who passed through Nigerian airports was 2,219,146, as against 1,408,026 passengers in 2020. This represents 57.61% growth rate. While in 2021, the total number of domestic passengers who passed through Nigerian airports were 13,006,481 as against 9,069,295 in 2020, which represents 43.41% growth rate. The number of arrivals in 2021 stood at 6,533,740, which was higher compared to 4,870,072 in 2020. Also, departure stood at 6,472,741 in 2021 compared to 4,199,223 in 2020. Similarly, the total number of international passengers who passed through Nigerian airports were 2,219,146 in 2021 as against 1,408,026 passengers in 2020. This represents 57.61% growth rate. The number of arrivals in 2021 stood at 1,109,621, which was higher compared to 690,765 in 202

Emirates Airlines has made an offer to partner with Nigeria in its quest to establish a national carrier. Mr James Odaudu, Special Assistant to Sen. Hadi Sirika, Minister of Aviation, stated in Abuja on Monday that the President of Emirates Airlines, Mr Tim Clark made the offer during a panel discussion at Dubai Expo 2020. The panel discussion held to discuss the future of aviation at the Dubai Expo 2020 Clark said Emirates Airlines would be happy to help if assistance was requested of it in starting Nigeria’s national carrier. He added that such assistance would elicit requests for clarification, mostly from the media and industry stakeholders in Nigeria. Clark spoke in support of Sirika’s position that Nigeria had a compelling need to establish a national carrier, going by certain indices. “Of course, Nigeria needs a national airline. There is an enormous business case for the national carrier. Nigerians are seeking to travel all over the world. Nigeria is a powerhouse in Africa. We