FG Pushes For Osubi Airport Code Change, Proposes Four Options

The Federal Government has urged the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to reconsider Osubi Airport’s existing three-letter code, QRW, saying a new designation would better align with the airport’s official name and actual location in Delta State.

The request was contained in a statement issued on Monday, by Tunde Moshood, Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo.

The minister formally conveyed the request to IATA Area Manager for West and Central Africa, Dr Samuel Fatokun, urging the global aviation body to initiate a review of the airport’s existing code, QRW, and consider an alternative designation with a clearer connection to Osubi.

According to the Federal Government, the proposed change is aimed at improving geographical accuracy and ensuring greater consistency in the way the airport is identified across aviation, travel and passenger-service systems.

Osubi Airport, which has the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) four-letter location indicator DNSU, is physically located in Osubi town, near Warri in Delta State. However, its IATA three-letter code, QRW, is associated with the broader Warri identity.

The government said the continued use of QRW could create inconsistencies between the airport’s official name, its physical location and the way it is represented across various aviation and travel platforms.

“The Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has formally requested the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to review the existing three-letter location code ‘QRW’ assigned to Osubi Airport in Delta State, with a view to adopting a code that more accurately reflects the airport’s official name and geographical identity,” Moshood said in the statement.

The Federal Government proposed OSU, OSB, SUB and QSB as possible alternatives for IATA’s consideration, while stressing that the final designation would be determined by the association’s coding procedures, technical requirements and the availability of suitable three-letter combinations.

Keyamo said aligning the airport’s IATA code more closely with its official name and physical location would strengthen its identity within the international aviation system and minimise potential ambiguity for passengers, airlines and other industry stakeholders.

He added that a more geographically representative code would promote consistency across travel and aviation-related platforms, including airline ticketing systems, baggage tags, boarding passes, passenger information systems and other operational interfaces.

As part of the Federal Government’s efforts to reinforce the Osubi designation, airlines operating to and from the airport have been directed to identify the facility as Osubi, Delta State on tickets, luggage tags, boarding passes and other passenger-facing documents.

Relevant aviation agencies, including the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), have also been directed to reflect the Osubi designation in their systems, official records, publications and operational interfaces.

The minister, however, clarified that the proposed change in the airport’s IATA location code would not affect its strategic role in serving the wider Warri metropolitan area.

Rather, the government said the initiative is intended to provide a clearer distinction between the airport’s official identity and the broader geographical area it serves, while improving consistency in domestic and international aviation records.

The proposed review is now subject to IATA’s established coding standards and procedures, including an assessment of the availability and suitability of any replacement code ultimately selected for the airport.