 In the first decades of operation, it became an important fuel stop for airlines flying long-haul services between Europe and Africa.Newer aircraft did not need such fuel stops and, with the demise of the Kano economy in the late 20th century, many international airlines stopped serving the airport.When they indefinitely suspended services to Kano in June 2012, KLM was the only European airline serving Kano, which they had done without interruption since 1947.