BEVERLY HILLS, January 05, (THEWILL) – The umbrella body for carriers in the country’s aviation sector, the Airline Operators of Nigeria, AON, has opposed the move by the Federal Government to shut the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, NAIA.
This is despite the explanation by the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, at an industry-wide meeting attended by officials of different security agencies, representatives of foreign embassies in Nigeria, international airline operators and their domestic counterparts, legislators, the governments of Kaduna, Kwara and Niger states.
The Federal Government explained to aviation stakeholders why the Abuja airport must be shut for six weeks beginning from March 8 in order to carry out repairs on its
runway and taxi ways.
It had disclosed that during the closure of the NAIA, passenger traffic and flight activities would be diverted to the Kaduna International Airport for the six-week period. This would however lead to the screening of air travellers twice, in Abuja and Kaduna.
The meeting convened by the Aviation minister on Thursday was a move by the Federal Government to get the inputs of stakeholders regarding the temporary closure of the Abuja airport.
However, in its submission after an elaborate presentation by Sirika, the AON declared that it was in support of the rehabilitation of the NAIA runway, but stressed that the facility should be repaired at night without necessarily shutting down the airport completely for six weeks.
The AON Chairman, Capt . Nogie Meggison, who spoke on behalf of the airline operators, argued that the Kaduna airport might not be
ready for the volume of traffic that hits Abuja on a daily basis, among other issues.
According to him, “We are in total support of the rehabilitation of the Abuja runway, which is long overdue and is becoming a safety issue that needs to be addressed as soon as possible.
“But the AON , on the other side, is of the view that shutting the runway is not the best for now.
“We believe that the runway can be repaired at night, like what is done in other countries. A case study is the Gatwick Airport, which
handles 400, 000 passengers annually, far higher than what Abuja handles. Or alternatively, the runway in Abuja is 3, 900 metres and if you split it into two, you will get
roughly 2, 000 metres.”
Meggison then said, “With 2, 000 metres of runway, they can fix one side for three or four weeks and come back to the other side. With
2, 000 metres of runway, a 737 aircraft can comfortably get into it for a one-hour flight; and a DRJ, Dash-8 and domestic carriers can
come in. International carriers can go to Lagos and Kano, and we distribute for them, like what is done anywhere in the world.”
“We also believe that Kaduna may not be too ready for this and for the volume of passengers that will be coming through that airport.”
Reacting to the airline operators’ position, the minister explained that the government would have worked at night on the Abuja airport if the level of dilapidation of the facility was just on the surface of the runway and taxi ways.
He said, “ But right now, all the four-level structures on that runway are completely gone. It is completely dilapidated. What was done in Gatwick was done for six months, but we are doing six weeks of closure to be able to attend to the critical parts of that runway.
“This working at night without disruption of flights is what we have been doing for 14 years on that runway and we have been
achieving the same result. To stop spending billions and getting the same result, we engaged a wide range of engineers, who advised that it be closed and a complete and thorough job be done on the runway. ”
Sirika disclosed that the lifespan of the Abuja runway had been exceeded by 14 years without adequate maintenance as opposed to that of the Gatwick Airport, which receives constant maintenance.
He stressed that the Abuja runway might be forced to shut down on its own, as was the case of the Port Harcourt airport runway some years ago, a development that grounded flight activities in the state for two and half years.
On logistics being put in place for travellers to use the Kaduna airport, the minister stated that N1.1bn had been approved by the Federal
Government for its rehabilitation and that work on the facility would be completed before March 8.
He said Abuja passengers would board free buses to and from the Kaduna airport, adding that security would be provided by aviation
security personnel, police , Ministry of Defence, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Kaduna State Government.
Sirika assured that military and police officers would be stationed on the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway during the six-week period, and that there would be train and helicopter services for passengers who could
afford them.
While debunking claims that the United Kingdom High Commission in Nigeria would close its services during the period, the minister stated that he had met with the personnel of the high commission and they had refuted the rumour.
