Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation and aerospace development, has formally asked the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to review the three-letter location code “QRW” assigned to Osubi Airport in Delta state.
The minister is seeking a new code that more accurately reflects the airport’s official name and geographical identity.
An IATA airport code is a three-letter identifier used to quickly identify an airport in the global air travel system.
The code is used on flight tickets, boarding passes, luggage tags, airline booking systems, flight schedules, and travel websites.
According to Tunde Moshood, the ministerss media aide, the request was contained in a letter signed by Keyamo and addressed to Samuel Fatokun, IATA area manager for West and Central Africa.
“Osubi Airport, which bears the ICAO four-letter location indicator DNSU, is physically located in Osubi town, near Warri, Delta state,” the statement reads.
“While the airport is sometimes informally identified as “Warri Airport” because it serves the Warri metropolitan area, the Federal Government has emphasised that its established and appropriate geographical designation is Osubi Airport.”
‘CURRENT CODE DOESN’T REFLECT AIRPORT’S ACTUAL NAME’
Keyamo said the continued use of QRW, which is associated with the broader Warri identity, does not adequately reflect the airport’s actual name and location.
“The federal government is therefore asking IATA to initiate a formal review of the existing code and, subject to IATA’s applicable coding standards and the availability of suitable combinations, consider a three-letter code that bears a clearer relationship to the name Osubi,” the minister said.
“Among the possible alternatives suggested for consideration are OSU, OSB, SUB and QSB, while acknowledging that the final designation remains subject to IATA’s established coding procedures and availability.”
He said aligning the airport’s IATA code more closely with its official name and physical location would strengthen its identity, reduce potential ambiguity for passengers and other stakeholders, and promote consistency across aviation, travel, ticketing, baggage, and related information systems.
In a related directive, Keyamo asked all airlines operating flights to and from the airport to ensure that flight tickets, luggage tags, boarding passes and other passenger-facing documentation reflect the airport’s proper designation as Osubi, Delta state.
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 the proper designation is consistently reflected across their systems, records, publications and operational interfaces.
He said the clarification was intended to ensure geographical and operational accuracy and not to create confusion about the airport’s role in serving the wider Warri metropolitan area.
“Osubi is not Warri and Warri is not Osubi,” he said.
Keyamo reiterated the federal government’s commitment to ensuring that Nigeria’s aviation infrastructure, locations and operational information are accurately represented in national and international aviation systems.
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