Mr Chinedu Eze, aviation editor , Thisday Newspaper
To foster development of the aviation sector, a veteran aviation journalist has unveiled a list of strategies that can be adopted by the operators.
In his presentation on ‘Media Impact on Airport Business Growth’ at the 2025 Airport Business Summit and Expo held in Lagos on Thursday, Chinedu Eze, aviation editor at Thisday Newspaper, urged operators to always appoint competent and knowledgeable spokespersons as the image makers of theirs organisations.
According to him, this will make the job of aviation journalists who are keen to get information on a particular event, easier as reports would be devoid of misrepresentations and misinformation.
“I advise that agencies should appoint spokespersons who are well-knowledgeable about the agencies they are representing or are ready and willing to learn. They should be a one-stop shop about everything concerning the agency, from engineering, operations, commercial and administrative. Such a person should be updated daily about events taking place in the agency. There are spokespersons that will not respond to your calls because they know nothing or have little knowledge about an agency they are supposed to speak for. Yet, subordinates are not authorized to speak. They can be seen, but not be heard.”, he said.
He also listed timely response to queries by journalist as one of the ways the agencies can help the sector grow and put it in positive limelight.
Eze urged airlines to only issue statements on incidents they think would be newsworthy instead of allowing journalists to find them out themselves.
“When journalists do so, they may not represent your views well and knee-jerk reaction tends to exacerbate negative impressions because they confirm earlier reports and draw attention to new readers who may not have known about the earlier reports.”
Eze also advised the agencies and airlines alone to adopt effective digital communication, saying this will help them reac wider audience and promote a positive image of airport management.
He is of the opinion that the agencies should have social media platforms where they could have flight schedules and update travellers and others hour to hour about events happening at various airports under its management.
“Experts recommend that airports should embrace digital communication because it is a critical component of airport management and public relations. Beyond establishing websites, FAAN, NCAA, for instance, should have social media platforms”, he added.
While pointing out that airport management and public relations are critical components of the aviation industry, he said airports must effectively engage with the media and the public to promote a positive image and maintain their reputation rather than the other way round.
“Effective airport management and public relations can help airports build relationships with the media and the public, promoting a positive and collaborative aviation community.”
He cautioned that the agencies must be proactive in churning out necessary information at the right time to avoid misinformation and reputational damage.
“The aviation industry is a very sensitive sector, where reporters are expected to be on top of their game because any misinformation may have serious consequences not just on the sector, but the entire economy and the image of the country is at stake. There issues also have to do with security of lives and property at the airports and the safety of flight operations.
