FAAN to shut Enugu airport for repairs
To ensure air safety at the airport, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has concluded plans to shut the runway at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu for major repairs on the airfield.
Spokeswoman for FAAN, Henrietta Yakubu in a statement said airlines, passengers and all other stakeholders had been notified of the closure that will take place on August 24th, 2019 but did not give date for opening of the airport.
She stated that the move was aimed at resolving the existing Safety/Security concerns to flight operations.
Regular airline passengers flying between Enugu, Abuja and Lagos are familiar with the bumpy take-off and landing due to the dilapidated runway of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu and the ominous reminder sometimes issued by pilots to draw attention to the danger to passenger safety posed by this runway and encourage political elites on their flights to act quickly for the safety of all concerned.
Recently, Former Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, had said that the aerodrome would be closed down following the poor state of the runway.
He also hinted that the Lagos international airport terminal would be partially pulled down by Julius Berger for major facelift, which would cost N14 billion. He added that this would happen after the inauguration of the new terminal.
“If you ask me, I will close Enugu tomorrow, actually today, because the runway has failed. They are maintaining it regularly to ensure safe operations”.
“I am not comfortable because there are also other problems with the runway. It is short, it needs to be extended. We recognise the efforts by the federal government by closing down the market beside the airport.
“Also, people have built within the premises of the airport on the safety area of the airport and that ought not to be, on the land belonging to FAAN. Whoever is the next minister will contend with that because this is safety. Enugu will be dear to the next minister,” he said.
Aside a communication mast near the airport, the closeness of Oye Emene market to the airport and inability to have dependable water supply for fire-fighting in case of emergency are not good stories about the airport.
There are also community issues on land compensation which hindered installation of the approach lights on the runway.
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