Sadiq Abubakar III International Airport

Sadiq Abubakar III International Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
Owner/OperatorFederal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN)
ServesSokoto, Nigeria
Time zoneWAT (UTC+01:00)
Elevation AMSL1,010 ft (310 m)
Coordinates12°54′58″N 5°12′25″E / 12.91611°N 5.20694°E / 12.91611; 5.20694
Map
SKO is located in Nigeria
SKO
SKO
Location of the airport in Nigeria
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
08/26 3,000 9,843 Asphalt
Sources: FAAN[1] WAS[2] GCM[3]

Sadiq Abubakar III International Airport[2] or Sultan Saddik Abubakar Airport[1] (IATA: SKO, ICAO: DNSO) is an airport serving Sokoto, the capital of the Sokoto State in Nigeria. It is named after Siddiq Abubakar III, the Sultan of Sokoto from 1938 to 1988. Its operator is Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

In 2022, it was the airport with the third highest level of aviation traffic in Northern Nigeria.[4]

History

Located near Bodinga to the south of Sokoto, Sadiq Abubakar III International Airport was officially opened on 17 February 1982; it replaced an existing airport in the southern suburbs of Sokoto.[5][6]

Stevin Construction got the contract to build pavements and earthworks for the airport. The airport was planned to get air service from Boeing 747 aircraft.[7] The Stevin Group contract for this airport was for 20 million British pounds.[8]

In August 2018 supporters of the former Governor of Sokoto State Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko trespassed onto the secure area, including some on motorcycles, and gathered on the airport’s apron; they prevented the aircraft that Wamakko was using from parking on the apron after it landed. The incident raised concerns in an editorial from This Day about the security and safety of Nigerian airports.[9] FAAN criticised people organizing events that obstructed the airport.[10]

In 2026 the Sokoto state government criticised the lighting system at the airport.[11]

Facilities

The airport has a single asphalt/concrete runway, 08/26; it is 3,000 metres (9,843 ft) long and 60 metres (197 ft) wide. The airport has a VOR/DME and an instrument landing system for navigation.[12]

In 2022 there was a terminal for Hajj flights that was still under construction.[4]

In 2025 plans for a VIP terminal and a new airport access road were announced.[13]

Statistics

PassengersYear80,00090,000100,000110,000120,000130,000140,000150,000160,0002015201620172018201920202021PassengersAnnual passenger traffic

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Sokoto Airport". FAAN.
  2. 1 2 "Airport information for DNSO". World Aero Data. DAFIF. Archived from the original on 5 March 2019.
  3. ↑ "Airport information for SKO" – via Great Circle Mapper.
  4. 1 2 Rasak, Adekunle (2 March 2022). "Reps task FG on completion of Hajj terminal in Sokoto". Nigerian Tribune. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  5. ↑ "Domestic Airports". Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria. Retrieved 28 June 2026.
  6. ↑ "Map of Sokoto". Sokoto: GIS Lab, Department of Geography, Usmanu Danfodiyo University. 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2018 – via Researchgate.net.
  7. ↑ "Three airports get go-ahead". Drum. 1 June 1977. p. 23 – via Archivi.ng. - Drum is a Nigerian edition of the South African magazine
  8. ↑ "Contracts". The Guardian. London. 7 December 1976. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "THE INVASION OF SOKOTO AIRPORT RUNWAY". This Day. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2026. - See version at PressReader
  10. ↑ "FAAN condemns invasion of Sokoto airport by crowd of political loyalists". Vanguard Nigeria. 5 August 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
  11. ↑ Ubandawaki, Musa (2 April 2026). "Sokoto gov raises alarm over faulty runway lighting at Sultan airport". Vanguard Nigeria. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
  12. ↑ "AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT KAL/2013/10/04/F" (PDF). Accident Investigation Bureau. 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2026.
  13. ↑ Maruf, Olakunle (3 July 2025). "Keyamo commissions modern airport terminal". Nigerian Tribune. Retrieved 5 July 2026.



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