The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has asked the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to review the three-letter location code “QRW” assigned to Osubi Airport in Delta State.
In a letter to IATA’s Area Manager for West and Central Africa, Dr Samuel Fatokun, Keyamo said the current code does not adequately reflect the airport’s official name and geographical location.
Osubi Airport is located in Osubi town near Warri. Its ICAO location indicator is “DNSU”, and it is sometimes referred to as Warri Airport because it serves the Warri metropolitan area. Keyamo, however, insisted that its official designation remains Osubi Airport.
He urged IATA to begin a formal review and consider alternative codes such as “OSU”, “OSB”, “SUB” or “QSB”, subject to the association’s coding rules and availability.
“Aligning the airport’s IATA code with its official name and location would improve geographical accuracy, reduce possible confusion among passengers and aviation stakeholders, and ensure consistency across ticketing, baggage and other aviation information systems,” the minister said.
Keyamo has also directed airlines operating to and from the airport to ensure that tickets, baggage tags and boarding passes carry the proper designation of Osubi, Delta State.
He further instructed the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and other relevant agencies to reflect the correct designation in their records and systems.
Clarifying the position, Keyamo stated: “Osubi is not Warri and Warri is not Osubi.”
The minister emphasised that the directive was not meant to diminish the airport’s importance to the Warri metropolitan area but to ensure accuracy in its geographical and operational identification.
