The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar, has restated the Nigerian Air Force’s (NAF) firm resolve to enhance aircraft availability through sound maintenance culture, institutional reforms, and strategic partnerships. He made this known while declaring open the 2025 Aircraft Engineering Conference at HQ NAF Abuja, describing the event as “timely and transformative.” The CAS emphasized that “mission success in contemporary air operations is directly tied to the availability, airworthiness, and sustained performance of aircraft platforms.”

With the theme “Enhancing Aircraft Serviceability in the NAF through Strong Maintenance Culture and Strategic Partnerships,” the conference gathered serving and retired engineering professionals to strengthen solutions for sustaining air power amid fleet expansion. The CAS revealed NAF’s current serviceability rate of 72% and unveiled a bold target of 90% by Q4 2025, driven by investments in predictive maintenance, spares, ground equipment, and digital documentation. He also announced the establishment of a Directorate of Aircraft Life Cycle Management (DALCM) to oversee long-term fleet health from induction to retirement.

The conference featured insightful papers on technical documentation and local–international collaboration in aircraft maintenance, sparking solution-oriented discussions. Commending the CAS for his visionary support, Chief of Aircraft Engineering AVM AI Amodu noted that “we are the backbone of the Force.” As Day Two continues, the Conference sets a clear path toward a smarter, mission-ready NAF anchored on innovation, engineering excellence, and strategic collaboration.