Enugu airport: Rectifying rot six years after

The Enugu airport is in total mess. There is nothing ‘International’ about it. Renovations by past Ministers of Aviation were a huge scam on the people. WOLE SHADARE writes that the aerodrome needs lasting solution

Decrepit facilities

It is common knowledge that the deplorable state of public facilities in Nigeria poses great concern to stakeholders. Facilities at Nigeria’s airports, hospitals, schools and roads among others, would give indication that the society lacks an agent that would have helped manage and ensure effective and efficient functioning of the facilities as well as fostering national development.

Such is the precarious state of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu. The closure of the ‘International’ Airport was welcomed by many people. It was long overdue to forestall accident.

Infact, the Enugu airport should long have been closed long ago for renovation. In true sense of it, the aerodrome has nothing to qualify it as an international airport despite over billions of naira that were reportedly spent between 2008 and 2014 that many believed were not well spent.

The aerodrome lacks adequate fire-fighting cover, night landing facilities, undulating and pot- hole riddle runway and decaying terminal facilities.  The airport is badly managed with no perimeter fencing among others.

Dubai based Emirates was said to have declined operating to the airport because of lack facilities mentioned. Emirates does not joke with security and its officials once said they would never fly to an airport where they cannot guarantee the safety of passengers, crew and equipment. The runway represents a clear danger to flight safety.

The airport lacks many safety landing facilities including the Doppler Weather Radar used for real time detection and tracking of hazardous weather systems such as thunderstorms, wind shear, turbulence, dust storms.

The runway and aircraft hangars are always flooded whenever there is rainfall and many times passengers have to remove their shoes, fold their trousers to walk up the tarmac for boarding.

Wasted funds

Huge sums of money running several billions of naira were reportedly spent by the Federal Government supervised by former Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah without remarkable improvement aside a hurriedly built terminal.

The stench of wastage of funds on airport infrastructure left behind by Oduah during her tenure as Minister of Aviation remains mind boggling.

During her tenure as a Minister, the airport was closed down for over two years to allow for its upgrade into a real international airport. To this end, a contract was awarded at the cost of N86billion.

The airport runway, built in the 70s, stretches over a distance of 2.6km ‎, which was to be extended to 3.6km to meet the global international runway standards. The old 2.6km runway was and is still pot-hole ridden, making it risky for landing.

Palliative measures were occasionally carried out on the runway at night to arrest further deterioration of the runway, but they did not eliminate the risk until the Federal Government last month announced closure of the facilities for a comprehensive reconstruction of the runway and other decrepit facilities.

Scam

Many summarised the Enugu Airport project as a scam on the country. This airport is a big risks to international airlines especially those from Europe, America, Asia, Middle East because it is international in propaganda and not in facilities. Egypt Air and South African Airways have rejected overtures to use the airport.

Other carrier decline gesture

The only airlines that use the airport is Ethiopian Airline which operates skeletal flights to Addis Ababa and in connecting flights to some destinations.

Turkish Airlines signed agreement in principle as announced by former Vice President Namadi Sambo in 2014 but fled back to Istanbul, Turkey after inspecting the equipment on the ground. If that airport is truly international, airlines like Virgin Atlantic Airways, Lufthansa Airlines, British Airways, KLM, Oatar Airways, Emirates Airlines will ply the route, but for now all overtures from certain quarters to lure these carriers to Enugu failed woefully due to what they termed poor quality infrastructure.

As at today, no airline from Europe, America, Asia and Middle East have landed or taken off from Enugu International Airport.

Experts’ views

An aviation security consultant and former Commandant, Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, Group Capt. John Ojikutu disclosed that said the runway surface was built with a load classification number (LCN) to carry B 737 aircraft and not the heavier B 767/ 777 that Ethiopian airline operates to the airport.
Mr. Ayo Obilana, a member of Ministerial Committee on the inspection of the airport about three years ago, said that the closure of the airport was necessitated by the need to repair the runway out of safety concerns.

He insisted that the runway had outlived its lifespan based on its history and age of the airport.

He, however, said that the non-disclosure of the contractor, length of closure and amount of money involved by the government did not create room for suspicion by the government.

He insisted that any airport could be suspended or shut down if there was grave safety or security concern, maintaining that it would be irresponsible of any government or institution to ignore such concerns, which could lead to fatalities.

He added: “Depending on the magnitudes of construction or repair works at an airport, it can be shut for a considerable length of time. I am sure people would first think about economic considerations over safety when an airport is closed under such circumstances.

Sirika parley with Governors

Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika had in May this year said this repair of the airport runway and other facilities would commence adding that the shutdown of the aerodrome was to address safety challenges raised by airline operators flying into the airport.

Sirika listed the major challenges hampering the smooth operation of the airport to include the poor state of the airport runway, the presence of a state radio mast on the flight path of airlines that threatens the safety of incoming aircraft, the siting of a Free Trade Zone at the end of the runway, as well as incessant bird strikes affecting airlines and occasioned by the presence of an abattoir at proximity to the airport.

 Since his re-appointment, Sirika has held several meetings with Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State and other governors from the zone with a view to fashioning speedy completion of the project.

Ugwanyi has shown commitment to the project and assisted in the relocation of the Emene market located very close to the runway. He also ensured the pulling down of a radio mast and relocated the Free Trade Zone in the interest of safety of aircraft and passengers.

Last line

What was predicted two years ago on the urgent need to shut the airport for comprehensive repairs may have played out with the action government has taken to ensure safety. Government, however need to speed up work for the speedy completion of the facility which is very strategic to the South East region.