Abuja airport shutdown: How passengers can cope

According to Nigeria Today report, the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) Abuja, will begin major repair and restoration work on its runway spanning the whole of February till March 8, 2017. This means the main runway of the airport which caters to both domestic and international flights, will be shut down completely throughout the six weeks duration scheduled for the rehabilitation project.

What is a runway

According to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), a runway is a “defined rectangular area on an airport used for the landing and takeoff of aircraft. Most runways are man-made surface (often asphalt, concrete, or a mixture of both).

In recent months, the Abuja runway of 4,000 metres-plus has been in in a very bad shape destroying the landing gears of several aircraft and posing safety concerns to crew and passenger lives, thus prompting the government to pencil it down for repair at the cost estimated at over N5billion.

According to plans unfolded by the  Minister of State for Aviation, Mr. Hadi Sirika, while the rehabilitation on the Abuja airport runway is on, FCT-bound traffic would be diverted to Kaduna airport, from where heavily guarded buses will convey passengers back to their destination by road in a journey of about two hours.

But that decision has been received with mixed feeling within the industry. While some stakeholders say the Minna airport would have been a better alternative in view of its nearness to Abuja and recent security issues in Kaduna State. Many are still wonering what informed the Kaduna option.

The runway of the Minna airport can accommodate aircraft whose takeoff and landing runs are within 1,000 to 2,000 metres. Others including foreign airlines that fly into Abuja insist they won’t fly into either Kaduna or Minna, but will instead, utilise the Lagos airport (which has dual runways and has served for decades as Nigeria’s hub) as their alternate airport.

According to them, all Abuja-bound flights would take-off and land at the Lagos airport, while passengers who hitherto flew out and arrived at Abuja would under the new arrangements be ferried to and from Lagos to Kaduna by local airlines of their choices. However, the outcome of this muscle flexing arrangement are yet to be seen as the airport is billed for closure next month.

The loses

The Abuja airport records an average of 4.3 million passenger traffic yearly and analysts estimate that shutting it down for about two months could result in about N20 billion loss to workers, airlines, service providers like ground handling firms, food vendors/caterer, cleaners, cab and bus drivers among others.  After the Lagos airport, it is the Abuja airport that records the highest number of traffic. The large number of passengers that fly that route daily from other airports within and outside the country comprise people who visit Abuja either for commercial, socio-political, diplomatic, academic or tourism engagements on a daily basis. It therefore follows that the closure of the Abuja airport and the diversion of flights to Kaduna – or Minna airport if  that option was to sail through – would cause the maximum inconveniences to passengers.                

Tips to cope for passengers

Opting to travel by road while the Abuja airport rehab is going on is not really a bad idea as many have suggested they would do rather than use the Kaduna airport.  But then, six weeks is indeed a long period for the hundreds of passengers who pass through the Abuja airport to contemplate a total boycott of air travel into Abuja.

As inconveniencing as it would be to enter Abuja en-route Kaduna airport, it still remains a better and faster travel option to a lot of Nigerians, especially those coming from extreme or boarder states of the country like Lagos, Bornu, Sokoto, Zamfara, Ogun, Rivers, Taraba, Akwa Ibom, and Kano.

No one can promise a real smooth flight under an emergency situation, especially one that involves a stopover where passengers have to undertake the last leg of a supposedly air trip via a 2hour bus or taxi drive. However, with the right attitude, the preparedness, and few adjustments made here and there, those passengers can still cope and keep their appointments in Abuja via the alternate airlport in Kaduna with some ease.

Early bookings

Book and pay early enough either at airline counters or by online platforms. For travelers who wish to catch early morning appointments, a flight that arrives Kaduna between 7.30am and 8.30am would be the most appropriate if you have to journey the next two hours into Abuja FCT. That already gives an idea of a rush for those early morning flights. Knowing your actual travel date and booking early enough is therefore very critical.   Know what time your flights take off.

It may sound like the most obvious travel advice in the world, but it’s amazing how many people don’t actually bother to check the exact departure times of their flights. This time, particularly for passengers who would have to make the journey first from Abuja to Kaduna, it is adviceable for them not to base their airport travel plans on hazy recollections of what was obtainable at the Abuja airport.

Instead, make sure you keep your flight tickets in a safe and easily accessible place so you calculate appropriately and know what time to reach Kaduna airport for the onward journey to your final destination either within or outside the country. On a similar note, make sure you get to the airport in good time, leaving plenty of allowance for possible check-in delays or long queues going through Customs and Immigration. 

Book an airport transfer well in advance.

Once you’ve sorted out the exact time of your flight departure, make sure you also have a definite plan on how you’re actually going to get to Kaduna airport. If you’re lucky enough to have a friend or family member who can drive you then that’s fine. But if you’re going to rely on one of those shuttle buses the government says would be made available, make sure you confirm their departure time and that it fits perfectly with your departure time too so that you don’t miss the flight. Or you can book a taxi well in advance of your flight day.

Emergency situations

This is the first time that the Abuja airport would be shut down with an alternate airport being utilised. And for such a novel experiment, passengers must not fail to anticipate emergency situations and as such must make extra budgetary provisions.  For instance, a delayed departure on a flight heading from any of Nigeria’s airport to Kaduna could create safety or security situations that warrant spending a night in a hotel in Kaduna. And there could also be emergency situations like dealing with a broken down cab or taxi along the Kaduna – Abuja road and having to get to hire another vehicle. Both emergencies would certainly come at extra cost.