Aviation and Aerospace Development Minister Festus Keyamo designated Victor Attah International Airport in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, as an international airport on 27 November 2025, during a meeting in Abuja with state governor Umo Eno. Keyamo said the airport had long met key infrastructure requirements, pointing to a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility that was around 95 percent complete and a 3.6-kilometre runway he said exceeded the length of some existing international gateways.
Compliance Steps Before Full Operations
The minister said a joint committee drawing on the Ministry of Aviation, the Akwa Ibom State government and agencies including the Nigeria Customs Service, the Immigration Service and the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency would work through remaining compliance requirements and set a date for full international operations to begin. Governor Eno described the designation as a major milestone for the state, saying it would open new opportunities for tourism, business growth and foreign investment, with full international operations expected to start in the first quarter of 2026.
The upgrade placed Victor Attah among a small group of Nigerian airports authorised for international traffic, positioning Akwa Ibom State as a potential aviation hub for Nigeria's South-South region and adding to a run of airport milestones recorded across the country during 2025.
