By Emmanuel Olugua
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has moved to formally correct what the Federal Government describes as the longstanding geographical misidentification of Osubi Airport in Delta State, declaring emphatically that “Osubi is not Warri and Warri is not Osubi.”
Keyamo has formally asked the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to review the three-letter location code, QRW, currently assigned to the airport and consider replacing it with a code that more accurately reflects the airport’s official name and physical location.
The Minister made the request in a letter addressed to IATA Area Manager for West and Central Africa, Dr. Samuel Fatokun.
Osubi Airport, located in Osubi town near Warri in Delta State, currently bears the ICAO four-letter location indicator DNSU, while its IATA code is QRW, a designation associated with the broader Warri identity.
The Federal Government said the continued use of QRW does not sufficiently reflect the airport’s actual geographical location and official designation as Osubi Airport.
According to Keyamo, the proposed review is aimed at aligning the airport’s international aviation identity with its physical location, while reducing possible confusion among passengers, airlines, and other stakeholders.
The Minister said a more appropriate IATA code would also promote consistency across airline reservations, ticketing, baggage handling, boarding documentation, and other aviation information systems.
Among the possible three-letter alternatives suggested by the Federal Government for IATA’s consideration are OSU, OSB, SUB, and QSB.
The government, however, acknowledged that the final code would be determined by IATA in accordance with its established coding procedures and subject to the availability of the preferred combination.
While Osubi Airport serves the wider Warri metropolitan area, the Federal Government stressed that its function as an airport serving Warri should not be confused with its geographical identity.
In a related directive, Keyamo ordered all airlines operating flights to and from the airport to ensure that passenger-facing documents accurately reflect its designation as Osubi, Delta State.
The directive covers flight tickets, luggage tags, boarding passes, and other relevant passenger documentation.
The Minister also directed the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), and other relevant aviation agencies to ensure that the Osubi designation is consistently reflected in their systems, records, publications, and operational interfaces.
Keyamo said the clarification was not intended to diminish Osubi Airport’s importance to the Warri metropolitan area but to ensure geographical and operational accuracy in the identification of aviation facilities.
“Osubi is not Warri, and Warri is not Osubi,” the Minister stated emphatically.
The Federal Government said correcting the designation would help ensure that Nigeria’s aviation infrastructure and operational information are accurately represented in both domestic and international aviation systems.
The proposed change, if approved by IATA, could consequently alter the way the airport is identified across airline, travel, and aviation information platforms.
The government reiterated its commitment to ensuring that the names, locations and operational details of Nigeria’s airports are accurately reflected in national and international aviation records.
The statement was signed by Tunde Moshood, Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development.
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