Local Airports in Nigeria (Updated List)

People travel for various reasons, including business trips, school resumption, interviews, NYSC camp, and other events.

If you are the type that loves traveling to a new location—maybe for exploration—and you don’t want the long, stressful voyage that comes with a bus, then this article is for you.

Many people believe that local Nigerian airports are not functional, but do you know that most of the airlines you see in the sky are mostly local? This shows how busy and operational they are.

List of Local Airports in Nigeria

Local airports in Nigeria are airports that focus on flights within the same country. There are more than ten local airports in Nigeria—I will list all but provide details on ten.

Most airports have international in their name but operate locally.

Akure Airport
Akwa Ibom Airport (Victor Attah International Airport)
Asaba International Airport
Bauchi Airport (Sir Tafawa Balewa International Airport)
Benin Airport
Gombe-Lawanti International Airport
Ibadan Airport
Ilorin International Airport
Jalingo Airport
Kaduna Airport
Kebbi International Airport
Katsina Airport
Margaret Ekpo International Airport (Calabar, Cross River)
Maiduguri International Airport
Makurdi Airport
Minna Airport
Sam Mbakwe Airport (Owerri, Imo)
Sultan Saddik Abubakar Airport (Sokoto)
Yakubu Gowon Airport (Plateau, Jos)
Yola Airport
Warri Airport
Zaria Airport

Akure Local Airport:

Akure Airport was opened as a domestic airport on February 8th, 1986.

The distance from the city center to Akure Airport, located in the Obale Community to the east of Akure, is 12 km. The closest localities to the airport are Owode, Eneowo, and Araromi.

Akwa Ibom Airport:

Akwa Ibom Airport serves Uyo, the capital of Nigeria’s Akwa Ibom State. The airport is located 16 kilometers (9.94 miles) northwest of the river port of Oron and 24 kilometers (about 15 miles) southeast of Uyo. Beginning in 2006, the first stage of the airport’s construction started and was finished in 2009. The first scheduled passenger service at Akwa Ibom Airport began on December 2, 2009, when Arik Air started operating flights to Abuja and Lagos. The airport opened on September 23, 2009.

At a dinner celebrating Obong Victor Attah’s 80th birthday on November 24, 2018, Governor Udom Emmanuel renamed the airport his honor. Previously known as Akwa Ibom International Airport, the airport currently goes by its new name, Victor Attah International Airport.

Asaba International Airport:

This airport connects the city to Nigeria’s major urban centers, mostly through domestic service. Asaba, the capital of Nigeria’s Delta State, is serviced by Asaba International Airport. On February 12, 2008, the state cabinet’s executive council approved the building of the Asaba International Airport project.

Bauchi Airport:

Sir Tafawa Balewa International Airport, popular as Bauchi Airport, serves Bauchi City and adjacent localities in Bauchi State. In honor of Sir Tafawa Balewa’s contributions to the development of Bauchi State and Nigeria, the airport was named after him. The Isa Yaguda-led administration built the airport in Bauchi in 2014 to support the state’s tourism industry, agricultural development, and alliances with other states. Flights from Bauchi Airport are currently operated to important Nigerian destinations, including Abuja.

Benin Airport

One of the nation’s oldest airports is this one. The Nigerian Airports Authority (NAA) was ultimately given control of the airport after it was built in 1956 by the old Public Works Department (PWD) and upgraded between 1975 and 1978.

The old Benin Kingdom’s former capital is roughly 2 kilometers southwest of Ogba-Oko, where Benin Airport is situated. Ekenwa and Aerodrome is the neighborhood that is closest to the airport. The city’s center is where the runway is located.

Gombe-Lawanti International Airport:

It is a terminal airport in Gombe, Nigeria. Its proximity to Lawanti, a tiny village in Gombe State, Nigeria, is how it earned its name. The Federal Government started building Gombe Lawanti International in 2005.

The Nigerian city of Gombe, which serves as the state capital of Gombe, is served by Gombe Sani Abacha International Airport. The community of Lawanti constructed it along the road connecting Bauchi and Gombe. Planning started in 2005, and the 3,300 m runway was cleared for use in 2008.

Ibadan Airport:

In June 1982, former Senate President Joseph Wayas inaugurated Ibadan Airport.

Alakia, which is halfway between the Adegbiji neighborhood and Iwo Road, is where the airport is situated. Ibadan—Abuja, the most common domestic flight route, is one of the most frequently taken flight paths from Ibadan Airport (IBA).

Ilorin International Airport:

Ilorin International Airport, which serves Ilorin, a city in Nigeria’s Kwara State, opened its doors on February 16, 1978. It is situated 9 kilometers southwest of Ilorin town in the Fili neighborhood. The runway’s inclination is 05/23, and its length is 3100 meters.

Jalingo Local Airport

Jalingo Airport, now known as Danbaba Danfulani Suntai Airport, is a terminal building in Taraba’s capital city of Jalingo. Located 10 kilometers west of the city center, it serves Jalingo and adjacent cities. The improved airport opened in 2014 after sporadic construction, and business operations started in 2015.

Kaduna Airport:

The Nigerian Airports Authority (NAA) managed the airport at the time of its official 1982 commissioning.

The distance between Kaduna Metropolis and the airport is about 12 kilometers. The Isira Community is the neighborhood that is closest to the airport. Kaduna Airport is the airport that serves Kaduna, the capital of Nigeria’s Kaduna State.

Who Oversees Airport Matters In Nigeria?

FAAN (Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria) is the arm of the government responsible for the maintenance, managing, and coordinating of the processes at the Nigerian airports.

Conclusion

Traveling is fun, either for business, NYSC duty, or sightseeing. Now you know which airport is near your location. Visit the nearest airport and tell us what stood out for you there.