Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, 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 wants the airport to receive a code that more accurately reflects its official name and geographical location.
According to Keyamo’s media aide, Tunde Moshood, the request was contained in a letter addressed to IATA’s Area Manager for West and Central Africa, Samuel Fatokun.
Osubi Airport has the ICAO location indicator DNSU and is physically located in Osubi town, near Warri. Although the airport is sometimes referred to as Warri Airport because it serves the wider Warri metropolitan area, the Federal Government maintains that its proper geographical designation is Osubi Airport.
Keyamo argued that the continued use of QRW, which is associated with the broader Warri identity, does not accurately reflect the airport’s official name or location.
The minister asked IATA to consider alternative three-letter codes that could have a clearer connection with Osubi, including OSU, OSB, SUB and QSB, subject to IATA’s coding rules and availability.
He said aligning the code with the airport’s actual name and location would strengthen its identity and reduce possible confusion across aviation and travel systems.
Keyamo also directed airlines operating to and from the airport to ensure that tickets, boarding passes, luggage tags and other passenger documents correctly identify the airport as Osubi, Delta State.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and other relevant agencies were also directed to ensure the proper designation is consistently reflected in their systems and records.
“Osubi is not Warri and Warri is not Osubi,” Keyamo said.
Source: Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development
