April 06, (THEWILL0 – Airline passengers are currently stranded at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, over a dispute between the manager of the airport, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and fuel marketers, over the 100% increase in apron pass charges.
As a result, the airport manager refused fuel vendors access into the apron to fuel operators aircraft on arrivals and departures.
This is just as FAAN says, the marketers apron pass had expired.
All aircraft that landed this morning at the Abuja airport cannot leave due to lack of access to refuelling for take-off and thus the apron of the airport is congested as more aircraft land from different parts of the county.
With this development, all airlines have failed to meet their on-time departures.
An airport source told THEWILL that
“flights are landing and no fuel. I think they are using the fuel marketers as an example, but the charges affect everyone including ground handlers etc. This increase is actually across the board, but Abuja is taking action today.”
Speaking further, “Lagos to Akure with 100% load factor of 4pm is now cancelled as we cannot meet up with sunset even if we depart with our normal schedule mow. Akure to Lagos was 70% full. Passengers Easter plans destroyed because of FAAN and Fuel marketers stand-off.
“We now have two aircraft on ground in Abuja stuck, waiting for fuel.
Giving further explanations to the development, FAAN’s acting General Manager, Public Affairs, Mrs Faithful Hope-Ivbaze, said the prom pass expired since May and they were given up till April 1 to pay up.
She said the pass renewal is N200,000 and wondered why oil marketers would wait after much appeals and reminders to pay up.
The FAAN spokesperson also noted that many customers are owing the agency and refused to pay, adding that, they also need money to fix their facilities and when they breakdown, users worry them for failure to leave up to their responsibilities as manager of the airports.
“Their apron passes expired and they were supposed to renew before the expiration date and they did not. Apron passes are given for a one year period and within that one year period they are supposed to be renewed. The money is not much, it is just N200,000; an oil marketer cannot pay 200,000, but when our facilities break down, they expect us to fix it. Government is not giving us subvention for any of these things. We are an IGR agency and it is expected that all our facilities to be up to date. W need money to run these things and many of our customers are owing.”
Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.
