Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation and aerospace development, on Tuesday met separately with Yu Dunhai, Chinese ambassador to Nigeria, and a delegation from Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) to explore partnerships for boosting Nigeria’s aviation sector.
Gatekeepers News reports that the COMAC team was led by Yang Yang, vice-president of the marketing and sales committee, and included Michael C. Luo, technology director; Deng Zhiliang, deputy head of the marketing department; Tim Chen, vice-president of AVIC-KDN Airport Engineering Co. Ltd; and Ma Mengyao, general manager of AVIC-KDN Airport Engineering in Nigeria.
In a statement on Wednesday, Tunde Moshood, special adviser on media and communications to the minister, revealed that the meetings were held in Abuja.
Ambassador Dunhai assured Keyamo of China’s commitment to supporting his vision for aviation growth in Nigeria.
He stressed that aviation plays a vital role in economic development and connectivity, adding that Nigeria’s size and position as Africa’s most populous nation provide vast opportunities for cooperation.
Dunhai said, “Nigeria has the market, and I see the potential. The economy is going to bounce back soon, and China is ready to be a reliable partner in this growth trajectory.”
In a separate meeting, COMAC’s vice-president of marketing and sales discussed potential areas of collaboration with Nigerian airlines, focusing on aircraft leasing, technical support services, and long-term cooperation.
Keyamo, who had earlier visited COMAC’s headquarters in China, welcomed the discussions and confirmed Nigeria’s readiness to partner with the company.
He said, “We are ready for this collaboration and will soon lead a delegation of domestic airline executives to COMAC’s headquarters to deepen these discussions.”
“Nigeria is open to allowing COMAC to use our country as a base to access the wider African market.”
According to Moshood, the meetings marked a significant step in strengthening aviation relations between Nigeria and China, while also creating opportunities for domestic airlines to access modern aircraft leasing and tailored support services for the local market.
