Ikeja - Barely a week after shutting the runway at the Kaduna airport, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is to shut the Maiduguri Airport runway today.
FAAN’s Director of Airport Operations, Mr. John Ezenwankwo, told newsmen at the weekend in Lagos that the Maiduguri airport runway would be shut for rehabilitation.
Ezenwankwo said the closure of the runway had become imperative as the hajj operations would take off in the next two weeks.
“We have to shut the runway at the airport to carry out remedial work to prepare it for the hajj operations,” Ezenwankwo said.
He said that the closure might last for only one week, adding that efforts were being made to hasten the rehabilitation NAN reports that the Kaduna Airport runway was shut on Oct. 13 to make it safer for operations.
Also the Runway 18L at the domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja is still closed to traffic.
Ezenwankwo said that FAAN was grappling with inadequate funds following huge debts owed it by airlines.
The director spoke as some Avio-bridges at the MMIA is deteriorating, resulting in the closure of some bays used for parking of aircraft. Affected by the closure are Air France and airlines involved in regional operations.
The airlines have been relocated to ensure that their operations are not adversely affected. Bays D43 and D44 have been put out of use, but work is ongoing to put them back to shape soon. While D44 is out of use because it was no longer serviceable, the D43 was affected by an oil spillage.
Ezenwankwo said that FAAN was working with the Joint Users Hydrant Installation (JUHI) to ensure that both bays returned for use and were safe for operators. The director said that one of the bays might be reopened next week.
He said that the issue of conveyor belts at MMIA had become a source of concern to FAAN, adding that the agency was seeking assistance in that regard from the manufacturers in Singapore. The conveyor belts often operate at snail speed, keeping travellers waiting for a long time for their luggage after arrival. Ezenwankwo said that FAAN was also contemplating a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement in solving the problem.
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