FG Moves to Rename Osubi Airport Code, Says ‘Osubi Is Not Warri’

The Federal Government has formally moved to correct the identity of Osubi Airport in Delta State by asking the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to review its existing three-letter code, QRW.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, made the request in a letter to IATA Area Manager for West and Central Africa, Samuel Fatokun, according to a statement issued on Monday by the Minister’s media aide, Tunde Moshood.

Osubi Airport, located in Osubi town near Warri, has the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) location indicator DNSU. However, the airport is commonly referred to as “Warri Airport” because it serves the Warri metropolitan area.

The Federal Government argues that the continued use of QRW, which is associated with the Warri identity, does not accurately reflect the airport’s official name or physical location.

Keyamo said the proposed review was necessary to ensure that the airport’s identity is correctly represented across the aviation industry, particularly on flight tickets, baggage tags, boarding passes, reservation systems and other travel platforms.

The government has suggested possible replacement codes including OSU, OSB, SUB and QSB, while acknowledging that the final choice rests with IATA and must comply with its coding procedures and availability requirements.

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According to Keyamo, adopting a code more closely associated with Osubi would strengthen the airport’s identity and reduce possible confusion among passengers and other stakeholders.

Beyond the request to IATA, the Minister has directed airlines operating at the airport to ensure that passenger-facing documents clearly identify the facility as Osubi, Delta State.

He also directed the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and other relevant agencies to ensure that the correct designation is consistently used in their systems, records, publications and operational interfaces.

Emphasising the government’s position, Keyamo stated: “Osubi is not Warri and Warri is not Osubi.”

The move is expected to formally distinguish the airport’s geographical identity from the metropolitan area it serves, subject to IATA’s approval of any new three-letter code.

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