Runway Archives - Aviation metric

Why Nigeria Must Turn Airports Into Engines of Growth

Posted on June 8, 2026June 8, 2026 by Wole Shadare

Across Nigeria, new airports are appearing on the landscape with growing frequency. Governors commission them with pride, supporters celebrate them as symbols of progress, and critics dismiss them as expensive vanity projects. Yet both sides often overlook the essential point. An airport, by itself, is neither a development strategy nor an economic achievement. A runway is not an economy. The real question is not whether a state can build an airport, but whether it can…

Enugu Airport: Jinxed runway in search of solution

Posted on April 22, 2025April 22, 2025 by Wole Shadare

The continued closure of Enugu airport for constant repairs has raised concerns about the sincerity of permanently fixing the problem. It remains a mystery how this runway was fully rebuilt twice in ten years, 2009 and 2019, with the same mistakes made twice to rectify a simple engineering problem that has cost airlines, passengers and the airport authority lost time and revenue, writes WOLE SHADARE Fresh closure The Akanu Ibiam International Airport was closed to traffic…

Abuja Airport Runway: Lingering project with no end in sight

Posted on January 28, 2025 by Wole Shadare

The second runway for Abuja airport has lingered for too long with no end in sight for a project whose cost of N534 billion could be regarded as the most expensive in the world after completion with a likely mention in the Guinness World Records, writes, WOLE SHADARE Jinxed? The Abuja Airport’s second runway appears to be jinxed. The plan to give the country’s second busiest airport a second runway has been mired in controversy and…

Abuja Airport: Keyamo Rejects Contract Variation Of N532bn For 2nd Runway

Posted on January 23, 2025 by Wole Shadare

On Wednesday, the Minister of Aviation and AeroSpace Development, Festus Keyamo, vehemently rejected the outrageous contract variation of N532 billion from N90 billion awarded to the contractor handling the 2nd runway of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. During a budget defence session with the Committee, Keyamo who made this declaration while fielding questions from members of the National Assembly Joint Committee on Aviation said that the contract had been revoked for fresh bidding by interested…

Xejet aircraft with 52 passengers skids off runway, FAAN shuts facility

Posted on May 11, 2024 by Wole Shadare

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has shut the 18/Left runway of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos following an incident involving XEJET Airlines aircraft that skidded off the runway on landing into the grass. The aircraft with registration 5N-BZZ with 52 passengers departed Abuja and landed at 11.29 am. The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) confirmed that an aircraft belonging to Xejet Airlines skidded off the runway of the domestic wing of the Murtala…

Dana Air’s plane veers off runway, 83 passengers unhurt

Posted on April 23, 2024April 23, 2024 by Wole Shadare

An aircraft with registration number 5N BKI belonging to Dana Air was involved in a runway excursion. The aircraft with 83 passengers was flying from Abuja to Lagos on Tuesday. A runway excursion is a runway safety incident in which an aircraft makes an inappropriate exit from the runway. The spokesman for the airline, Mr. Kingsley Ezenwa said, “We are relieved to confirm that all 83 passengers and crew onboard the flight disembarked safely without injuries…

Aviation to gulp N63 billion in 2024, Minister wants extra N81 billion for Abuja second runway

Posted on December 12, 2023December 12, 2023 by Wole Shadare

2023 budget performance put at 40% The entire budget of the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development would gulp N63 billion while the performance of the budget of the Ministry last year was at 40%. The bulk of the budget is expected to go into critical projects such as the Abuja second runway; upgrade and rehabilitation of the old terminal of Lagos airport which the Minister, Festus Keyamo said were vital projects that need urgent…