Ibadan witnessed a symbolic shift in its aviation story when a wide-bodied Airbus A330-200 touched down at the Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport on September 26, 2025.
It was the first time in the forty-three years since the airport was established in 1982 that an aircraft of that size and category landed there.
The moment didn’t just draw applause from aviation watchers. It affirmed a point the Oyo State government has been making about its ongoing upgrades at the airport.
Recall that the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde had pushed a series of improvements meant to expand capacity and reposition the facility for both passenger and cargo operations.
Seeing the A330’s wheels hit the runway felt like a practical demonstration of those efforts coming full circle.
Airport officials say the touchdown reinforces the state’s resolve to grow Oyo’s economic profile through enhanced air connectivity.
According to the Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, who made this known in a post on a WhatsApp platform, “For residents who have followed the project from its early debates to its now-visible results, the event carried its own sense of validation.
“No amount of criticism compares to the evidence that stands in plain sight.”
Meanwhile, governor Seyi Makinde, while presenting the 2026 Budget Proposal to the state House of Assembly yesterday, reaffirmed his administration’s resolve to acquiring the two security surveillance Aircrafts.
He maintained that the acquisition will boost security of the state especially in rural communities and forest areas.