The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has approved the commencement of scheduled flight operations at the Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport, Ibadan.
The approval by the regulator followed efforts by the Oyo State Government to upgrade the Ibadan airport to international standard, with the state government having undertaken several projects, including the extension and widening of the runway, improvement of airfield lighting, the construction of a 500,000-litre aviation fuel storage facility, and a new Protocol Lounge, among others.
This was made known in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the Oyo State Governor on Media, Dr Suleiman Olanrewaju, on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, in Ibadan.
Olanrewaju said the approval is contained in a letter dated December 16, 2025, by the NCAA and addressed to the Managing Director/Chief Executive of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
It said in the letter that it has approved the issuance of a provisional interim operational permit for the commencement of scheduled flight operations at the airport.
NCAA stated in the letter that it gave the approval after reviewing the updated status of safety-critical facilities, operational arrangements, and mitigation measures, which followed recent developments at the aerodrome and the additional information provided by FAAN.
Olanrewaju, in his statement, said, “In the letter, the NCAA approved the issuance of a provisional interim operational permit for the commencement of scheduled flight operations at the airport.
“The NCAA said it approved after reviewing the updated status of safety-critical facilities, operational arrangements and mitigation measures, which followed recent developments at the aerodrome and the additional information provided by FAAN.
“The approval followed efforts by the Oyo State Government to upgrade the airport to an international standard, with the state government having undertaken several projects, including the extension and widening of the runway and improvement of airfield lighting.
“Other projects carried out at the airport include the construction of a 500,000-litre aviation fuel storage facility and a new Protocol Lounge.’’
Recall that in February 2025, the NCAA announced that the Ibadan airport would be shut down for a period of six months for maintenance and upgrade works to take place.
The NCAA Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achiugu, who made this known, said, “Subject to new information, Ibadan airport may be shut down for six months for maintenance/upgrade, starting from early March.”
This announcement is coming barely eight months after the state got the approval of President Bola Tinubu to improve the airport to an international status.
Upon the announcement, the airport was shut down, and the Oyo State government commenced rehabilitation work on the aerodrome to meet international standards.