The aviation sector has concluded plans for the forthcoming Airport Business Summit and Expo for Africa (ABSE).

The summit which was scheduled to hold in Abuja, the organizers said will address challenges in the continent’s aviation sector.

The summit, which would be held between July 4 to 6, 2018, with the theme: ‘Repositioning the Airport Business to Sustain Air Transport growth,” organisers said would draw participants and exhibitors from across the world.

Mr Fortune Iduh, the orgniser of the event said the three day conference and exhibition was aimed at promoting total air transport development from the airport perspective.

Idu, an FCI International consult, stated that the summit, stemmed from the understanding that a sound airport development, concept, plan and programme were vital for a viable, sustainable and safe total air transport system, which also had direct positive impact for fast-tracking economy development.

The Airport Business Summit and Expo is held annually to further share thoughts and information on current challenges in the airport sub-sector of the aviation industry.

The deliberation at the summit is centred on helping operators, investors and the airport business community to find a common ground to prosper. The summit provides a veritable platform for reviewing airport development policies, programmes and projects.

The summit Idu said was multi-sector in nature with about 200 delegates expected from all industries with direct and indirect dealing with the airports; airlines, retails, security, safety, technologist, media, taxi companies, hotels, tourist places among others.

According to Idu the main open summit, ABSE 2018 would also host an Agro Logistics seminar to unveil the opportunities available for using air transport to facilitate both local and international agro based export covering perishable goods and processed agro products.

The seminar he said would feature presentation from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Ethiopian Airlines, Arik Air, Nigeria Export Promoting Council (NEPZA) and Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) among others to cover subjects such as processes, procedures, packages, containerisation, standards, market and technologies available for enhancing agro export at the airport and possible further development opportunities.

Idu said the forum was important for the airport sub-sector to plan ahead and close gap that may hinder successful and seamless air agro export regime.

“Papers will be presented at the summit by heads of aviation industries to give insight to the future investment opportunities in Africa’s airports domain and to enable them position ahead of the development.

“The papers will help to boost the flying confidence in people, as speakers will try to tie the future prosperity of most Africa business and tourist cities to a successful airport system.”

He explained that deliberation of the seminar and the summit would form part of the report that would be submitted towards airport privatisation plan.