Baze University buys two aircraft from Europe for its Abuja aviation school

Baze University, Abuja, has received two training aircraft from Austria for its aviation school in Bwari, as it works towards running its own flight training programme.

The aircraft were welcomed with a traditional water cannon salute at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Friday. The university's pro-chancellor, Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed, announced the delivery.

According to Baba-Ahmed, the planes will help deepen aviation training in Nigeria and build the country's supply of skilled workers in the sector.

He said the university hopes to train at least 600 people in specialised areas such as air traffic control, air rescue and firefighting. That plan still needs the approval of the relevant regulators, he added, and would come on top of the school's existing degree courses.

Baba-Ahmed said Baze graduates are already being accepted in Nigeria, Europe, the United States and some African countries, and he expects the aviation school to raise the country's standing further.

"Baze Aviation School is going to uplift the integrity of Nigeria across the world," he said.

Runway, hangar and simulators planned in Bwari

The coordinator of the aviation school, retired Air Vice Marshal Aliyu Bello, said the two aircraft will be used for hands-on flight training, giving students time in the air alongside their ground-school lessons.

He said the university is building a dedicated aviation site in Bwari, in the Federal Capital Territory. It is to include a runway, a hangar, a terminal building, laboratories and simulation centres.

Bello also said the National Universities Commission (NUC), which regulates university programmes, has approved two new full-time undergraduate courses for the 2026/2027 academic session. They are Aviation Management, under the Faculty of Management and Social Sciences, and Aerospace Engineering, under the Faculty of Engineering.

Baba-Ahmed said the university intends to build an aerodrome of about 1,800 metres by 30 metres, plus an additional 15 metres, within Abuja.

Vice-Chancellor Prof. Abiodun Adeniyi said the move would make Baze the first private university in Africa to run its own aviation school.

What happens next

The school still needs regulatory clearance before it can begin training air traffic controllers, rescue workers and firefighters. Its flight training and the Bwari facility will also depend on certification. For students, the two new NUC-approved courses open up aviation-related degree options from the next academic session.