One of the main Nigeria’s airports, the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, in Abuja will be reopened next week Wednesday, April 19, 2017 after a six-week closure to allow for repair works on the runway and other facilities upgrades.
ADVERTISEMENT
Nnamdi Azikwe International airport reopens next week after runway repairs
The news of reopening indicate a paradigm shifts in ways government business is done. The Minister of state for Aviation, Hadji Sadirika, had early promised to resign if deadline is not met.
Abuja airport
Tweets from the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and Tolu Ogunlesi, the SSA to Nigeria’s President on digital communications, confirmed that works on the runway had been completed.
The government made the decision to close airport on March 8, 2017 due to deplorable conditions of major facilities in the airport, including the runway. To this effect, an $18 million contract was awarded for the repairs to Julius Berger Nigeria.
Ogunlesi further stated the airport will officially be reopened next Wednesday (April 19, 2017) to air traffic, while noting that authorities had taken advantage of the closure to upgrade some facilities, especially in the main domestic departure terminals.
ADVERTISEMENT
Kaduna airport served as the main international airport for Africa’s most populous nation after the closure of the Abuja airport.
Kaduna airport is located about 160 km (100 miles) north of the capital. The government made arrangement for free bus and train services for passengers whose flights took them to Kaduna and had to commute to Abuja. Passengers and some airlines complained about the negative effects of using Kaduna, aside its effect on their business schedules, the state is also known for its notoriety with regards to kidnapping.
Abuja airport handled an estimated 5,000 domestic flights in December 2016 alone, making it the second busiest airport in the country.
JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!
ADVERTISEMENT
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng
ADVERTISEMENT