By Ayo-Ife Lewis.
For decades, Nigeria has struggled to establish a viable domestic air cargo freighter industry. Several airlines have attempted dedicated cargo operations, but most have failed because they could not compete with passenger aircraft carrying cargo in their belly holds. Since passenger ticket revenue already bears much of the aircraft’s operating costs, airlines can offer belly cargo space at significantly lower rates. This makes it extremely difficult for dedicated freighter aircraft, which depend entirely on cargo revenue, to compete.
If Nigeria is serious about becoming Africa’s leading air cargo hub, this cycle must be deliberately broken through a coordinated national strategy.
The first step is to recognize that belly cargo and dedicated freighters serve different markets. Belly cargo is ideal for small consignments, express shipments, and passenger baggage, while freighters are essential for large volumes, oversized cargo, dangerous goods, livestock, perishables, and industrial equipment. National policy should therefore encourage complementary operations rather than direct competition.
Government can support the emergence of domestic freighter services through targeted incentives. These could include reduced airport charges for cargo-only aircraft, lower navigation fees, tax relief on cargo equipment, and financing support for airlines investing in freighter aircraft. Such incentives should be tied to measurable performance, including route development, cargo volumes, and service reliability.
A key policy option is for government agencies and public institutions to prioritize domestic air cargo operators for the transportation of official documents, medical supplies, election materials, security equipment, and emergency relief. This would provide a stable base load of cargo, helping operators achieve sustainable utilization.
Another innovative option worth exploring is a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between the Federal Government, private cargo operators, and the Armed Forces. Subject to national security requirements, aviation experts, military planners, and policymakers could develop a framework that allows certain military transport aircraft to undertake carefully defined civilian cargo operations during periods when they are not required for defence missions. Such an arrangement could improve aircraft utilization, strengthen national logistics capacity, provide valuable operational experience, and support emergency response while ensuring that military readiness and security remain uncompromised. Similar dual-use concepts have been adopted in various forms around the world, and Nigeria can develop a model suited to its own operational and security environment.
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State governments should also rethink their aviation investment strategies. Rather than every state seeking to build an airport which may not always be economically viable they should focus on developing cargo collection, aggregation, processing, and distribution centres linked to existing airports. Investments in rail, road, inland waterways, and cold-chain infrastructure can often deliver far greater economic returns than constructing new airports.
Bayelsa State provides a useful example for discussion. Given its rich aquatic resources and agricultural potential, a stronger economic case could have been made for investing in efficient transport links and modern cargo facilities connected to Port Harcourt International Airport. Such an approach could have enabled seafood, fish, and other perishable products to be consolidated, processed, and rapidly exported through an existing international gateway, potentially delivering higher returns while avoiding the significant costs associated with developing and maintaining a new airport.
As cargo demand grows, airlines would gain the confidence to invest in dedicated freighter fleets. More importantly, when passenger aircraft reach the end of their commercial passenger service, operators could convert or redeploy them into domestic and regional freighters instead of disposing of them. This would extend the economic life of valuable aviation assets, reduce capital costs, and create a natural pathway for fleet renewal.
A thriving domestic cargo network would also strengthen Nigeria’s agricultural exports, support e-commerce, improve healthcare logistics, facilitate humanitarian operations, and connect manufacturers to markets across the country. It would generate new revenue streams for airlines, create skilled jobs, and stimulate investment in airports and logistics infrastructure.
Breaking the jinx of domestic air cargo will not happen through market forces alone. It requires deliberate government policy, industry collaboration, and long-term investment. With the right framework, Nigeria can build a sustainable domestic cargo ecosystem that complements passenger aviation today while laying the foundation for a robust domestic and regional freighter industry in the future. Such a strategy would not only strengthen the aviation sector but also position Nigeria as the logistics gateway for West and Central Africa.
The time has come for Nigeria to stop thinking of aviation solely as a passenger transport industry and begin treating air cargo as a strategic national economic asset capable of driving industrialization, export growth, food security, and regional trade. A deliberate national cargo policy, backed by sustained investment and public-private collaboration, can transform Nigeria from a consumer market into Africa’s premier logistics and cargo gateway.
