As training at the International Aviation College (IAC), Ilorin, Kwara State, is hampered by a lack of trainer aircraft, a pilot shortage could soon affect the Nigerian aviation sector.
Our reporter was informed over the weekend by a source close to the college that the institution no longer has trainer aircraft to train its student pilots because of recent serious accidents involving its lone surviving trainer aircraft.
However, the college refuted the story in a phone contact with our correspondent, stating that it now has two operational planes for student pilot training.
According to sources close to the college, the flying school currently lacks operational airplanes. The college was founded in 2011 by then-state governor Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, and at its height, it had six trainer aircraft.
Among the aircraft were helicopters, Diamond DA 4Os, and Diamond DA 42s, which were utilized for the college’s multi-engine rating classes.
In 2019, one of the training aircraft registered 5N-BHN also crashed and was never reported to have been put back into service.
At least 250 pilots with both a Private Pilot Licence (PPL) and a Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) have been trained by the college for the nation’s aviation sector.
Additionally, a college-operated trainer plane crashed and injured a student pilot on Friday, May 23, 2025.
The incident happened as the plane approached Ilorin International Airport’s Runway 05.
According to our source, the only airplane the college had for training was the one that was heavily damaged in the tragic incident.
According to our source, the check flight had stalled since the serious mishap occurred during “a mock check flight” that was being prepared for the student pilot for a CPL check ride.
Additionally, the source informed our correspondent that the college had requested permission to buy an engine for one of the fleet’s aircraft so that it could be recommissioned for flight; however, as of the time this report was filed, the college had not received permission from the state government to acquire the engine.
The college is currently floating, according to the source. To do the necessary test flights for its trainee pilots, it lacks a single aircraft. The training handbook calls for doing this on a regular basis, but since the May 23 event, it has been put on hold.
Due to uncertainties regarding the availability of trainer aircraft, several students who are scheduled to take off are waiting. However, we are waiting for the state government to step in and turn things around.
Another source, who also did not want his name to appear in print, acknowledged that the college does not currently have any operational aircraft, but he said that this hasn’t stopped student training because the most of them are still in ground school.
The majority of the pupils are in ground school, although we are not currently flying. They will start flying again as soon as they are finished. I’m confident that airplanes will be available by the time we begin flying,” the person stated.
Additionally, IAC’s Head of Training, Mr. Ajape Abdullahi, refuted the assertion that the institution lacked any trainer aircraft.
In a phone contact with our correspondent, Adbullahi stated that despite the serious event involving its trainer jet, the college has been accepting and graduating students for the past two months.
He claims that three pilot students were graduated by IAC in June following the successful completion of their CPL training.
Before graduating in June, Abdullahi informed our correspondent that the students completed their practical training aboard the Diamond DA 42 trainer aircraft of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria.
Additionally, he clarified that the college now has roughly 35 pilot students, including PPL and CPL enrolled in ground school.
“The only aircraft that we do not currently have is Diamond DA 42, which is multi-engine equipment,” he stated. Remember that we can swap equipment with NCAT thanks to our Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
We currently have two Diamond DA 40 aircraft in our fleet that are useful for real-world scenarios, which typically occur during our students’ final year. Ground school is still in session for our pilot students. They will then continue to the fly line from there.
Additionally, we have a functional simulator that we use to give our students hands-on instruction. The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has granted the simulator its accreditation.
The maximum training period for the PPL is six months, which includes three months in ground school and an additional three months on the fly line. However, this is mostly dependent on student performance and weather conditions. The CPL typically lasts 18 months, including 16 weeks of ground school and weeks of fly line training.
Speaking on the problem, Dr. Alex Nwuba, Vice President of the Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI), stated that the college’s inability to have operational aircraft would prevent students from receiving ongoing training.
In order to save the college from collapsing, Nwuba suggested that the Kwara State government adequately fund it. He also suggested that the administration purchase surplus aircraft at a reduced cost in order to keep educating student pilots.
As is common in our educational system, where pupils attend school for a set number of years but wind up staying longer for no fault of their own, he stated: “It means that their education would be delayed.”
If the institution really does not have a trainer aircraft anymore, the state government may step in and help. The college should continue. This just has to be prioritized in order to be completed.
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Additionally, the IAC administration was urged to transfer their flying students to NCAT for fly line by aviation industry expert Engr. Chukwudi Amokwu.
According to Amokwu, the lack of trainer aircraft at the institution meant that “the college’s flying school is gone and it is the major school that sustains them.”
By regulation, you need to accrue a specific amount of hours in order to be eligible for the PPL and CPL. The CPL must have more than 200 hours of flight time, while the PPL, I believe, is only approximately six.
“Using a simulator to conduct the training is an additional option. They are unable to obtain a license without the aircraft. Any flying school’s foundation is that,” he continued.
He clarified that bureaucracy might make it challenging for the college to purchase a new trainer aircraft and suggested that the management repair some of the fleet’s non-operational aircraft for student instruction.
He continued, “They can still write to the NCAA to let Zaria instructors come and complete the training for them.”
