Abuja Runway Closure: We Don’t Want Kaduna Airport – Foreign Airline Operators

Foreign airline operators have rejected the Kaduna Airport as alternative following the plans by the Federal Government to close the runway of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja (NAIA) for repairs.

The operators say they would prefer Lagos, Port Harcourt and Kano terminals as alternative.

Speaking yesterday at the Stakeholders Forum organised by the Minister of State, Aviation, Hadi Sirika, the representative of foreign airlines operating in Abuja, Osho Joseph described the planned closure as a total disruption of their schedules and operations.

Joseph said the Kaduna airport did not have the necessary capacities for international flights.

“We’re supposed to learn from past experiences. We shouldn’t have waited this long before repairing the runway. We have individual concerns aside security issues. We believe Kaduna airport is an alternate airport for local airlines, but not foreign carriers,”Joseph said.

“Again, we ask, what arrangements are on ground in Kaduna to assist fuel marketers? Besides, since the thinking is to utilise the opportunity of the dry season, why not start the repairs in February and end in March?,” he queried.

Also speaking at the event, the Chairman, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Capt. Noggie Meggison, opined that the federal government should rather carry out the repairs in manner that only about half of the runway will be closed, leaving smaller airplanes to land on it.

“The Abuja runway should be repaired at night as done in other climes between 6pm-6am. Such is the style used in Gatwick airport in the UK. It handles 400,000 passengers a year. Abuja is about 4,000. If Gatwick can be done that way, why not Abuja? International airlines can fly into Kano and Lagos, and we’ll distribute passengers for them because Kaduna doesn’t seem to work for them.