Gateway International Airport, built along the Ilishan-Iperu corridor in Ogun State, began commercial flight operations on Tuesday, 7 October 2025, after the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority issued an interim aerodrome operational permit authorising scheduled passenger services. A ValueJet aircraft carrying the first fare-paying passengers departed for Abuja shortly after 10am, with Governor Dapo Abiodun, his deputy Noimot Salako-Oyedele, and senior aviation officials including NCAA Director-General Chris Najomo and FAAN Managing Director Olubunmi Kuku on hand for the launch.
A Decade-Old Project Completed
The airport traced its origins to plans first floated more than a decade earlier, with construction gaining momentum after Abiodun's administration took office in 2021 and pushed the project forward despite scepticism about its viability. Built with a four-kilometre runway, a control tower and dedicated cargo and passenger terminals, the facility was also designated as an alternate landing site for Lagos's Murtala Muhammed International Airport, adding to its strategic value for the wider South-West region. Initial routes connected the airport, also served by the state-backed Gateway Air, to Abuja, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Jos and Kano.
Abiodun framed the launch as evidence of what sustained investment could achieve, and state officials said the airport was projected to create tens of thousands of jobs and support agricultural export growth for Ogun State, with commercial cargo operations expected to follow the initial passenger services.
