Concern over airports as Abuja runway expired 14 years ago

The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja runway, which was constructed 34 years ago, has outlived its lifespan by over 14 years,woleshadare.net has learnt.

A former Director of Airport Operation of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), who spoke under the condition of anonymity, disclosed this to our correspondent.

The source stated that the Abuja airport runway and many others were built over 30 years ago, stressing that Abuja facility was built in 1982.

 He said: “The Abuja runway is 34 years old now. It was designed to last for 20 years. It has exceeded its useful life and that is why every now and then it is closed for repairs.”

Piqued by the situation, operators and aircraft pilots have expressed concern over air safety occasioned by the deteriorating standards of most of the country’s airport runways, saying they pose danger to lives and equipment.

They urged the Federal Government to reconsider urgently the reconstruction of second runway for Abuja and quick resurfacing of the Lagos airport, which is considered Nigeria’s busiest aerodrome.

To them, ‘the terrible condition’ of these facilities exposes the sector to a big danger.

They added that the patching of the potholed Abuja airport runway is not the solution, stressing that a second runway was long overdue for the nation’s second busiest airport.

Some of the operators who spoke to woleshadare.net under the condition of anonymity, said that virtually all facilities, especially that of Abuja airport, have ‘expired’.

The deteriorating condition of the runways came up for discourse at the just-concluded 25thAir Finance for Africa summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, with participants, attesting to the danger the terrible surfaces pose to air travel in the country.

Senior Manager, Syndicated and Special Finance Department, Afreximbank, Samuel Mugoya, said: “From my interactions with airline operators in Nigeria, they complain of the quality of runway of most of the airports.”

Aviation security consultant, Group Capt. John Ojikutu (rtd), said runways are the most important airport facility coming almost ahead of the control tower and other known ones such as the apron, navigational aids, terminal building and hangar, among others.

He noted that without the terminal building or tower, aircraft could still land if there is a runway available, particularly in an emergency.

Ojikutu, noted: “However, where there is no runway or there is one but is blocked or declared unserviceable, no aircraft will land and all flights operating into the airport are diverted and the flights operating out of the airport are grounded.”

He said that runways require safety management system or maintenance programmes that prescribe the frequencies for surface washing and cleaning to remove debris and residuals from aircraft tyres after landings and the frequencies for resurfacing after prescribed period or number of landings.

He said that alligator cracks and intensive traffic density on the on the Abuja airport runway has necessitated the need for a second one.

Just last week, Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Saleh Dunoma, inaugurated the Lagos Runway Safety Team.

The inauguration was in compliance with Resolution A37-6 of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), which requires member states to implement appropriate measures to enhance runway safety.

Dunoma urged the team to ensure strict compliance to ICAO standards in carrying out their duties. He also encouraged them to ensure the certification of all airports in Nigeria.