The recent directive from Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, instructing the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to ensure that foreign airlines use local caterers for on-board meals from January 1, 2025, has been clarified.
Keyamo said that the directive to foreign airlines to use local caterers does not mean they have to serve local dishes.
The Minister stressed that the long-standing practice of foreign airlines serving reheated meals on outbound flights to Nigerian passengers is no longer acceptable, adding that this change is necessary to boost Nigeria’s economy by supporting local businesses.
“I want to clarify that instructing foreign airlines on outbound flights to use our local caterers does not mean telling them to serve local dishes. Our local caterers can also prepare international dishes or any meals according to the airlines’ requirements.
“The traditional practice of bringing frozen meals from their countries and then warming and serving them on outbound flights, mainly to our citizens, is no longer acceptable.” He stated.
The Minister also addressed concerns about food safety, assuring that Nigeria has quality control agencies capable of ensuring the hygiene and safety of the meals prepared by local caterers.
“If they expect us to trust the quality of the food they bring into our country to serve our citizens, then they should also trust the process we have for vetting meals prepared by our local caterers.”
He hammered on the importance of supporting local businesses, saying, “The main point is that with our large population and air traffic, we must support our local businesses, but caterers from other countries should not benefit from what should primarily benefit our local economy.”
