Operators in the aviation industry and the Akwa Ibom State government have taken steps towards developing maintenance facilities in Nigeria.
Industry experts said the move would end the huge resources spent overseas in the maintenance of aircraft, which is the highest operations cost to airlines after aviation fuel by Nigerian carriers and others.
The Head of Engineering and Maintenance of Ibom Air, Mr Lookman Animaseun, says that it was good that the NCAA was licensing MRO organisations in Nigeria to save the country about $2 billion spent on aircraft maintenance overseas every year.
Animaseun says besides the Nigerian market, airline operators in West and Central Africa would also bring their aircraft to be maintained in Nigeria, which would attract forex to the country.