Airlines oppose Abuja airport closure.

Domestic and Foreign airlines that is operating in Nigeria have send away rudely against the Federal Government’s decision to shut down the In­ternational Airport (Nnmdi Azikiwe), Abuja, for repairs.

They suggested to repairs one part of the runway instead of a closing the Abuja Airport completely.

The science of flying by machine firms also pushed the government to re­view its plan for the airlines to fly into the Kaduna Airport en-route the nation’s capital for the period the Abuja Airport will be closed.

The airline operators ex­pressed their opinion in Abu­ja on Thursday at the science of flying by maching Stakeholders’ Forum organised by the Aviation Ministry on its plan to close down the Nnam­di Azikiwe International Air­port temporarily for the repair on the runway and the use of Kaduna Airport as an alterna­tive route.

Mr Nogie Meggisson The Chairman of the Air­line Operators of Nigeria (AON). who spoke at the meeting, made it open that while his members were not very unwilling to the repair of the runway because of safe­ty considerations, the govern­ment should consider alternative ways to undertake the repairs.

He said: “Airline operator in Nigeria (AON) on the other side saying that the airport should either be repaired at night like way it is done in other coun­tries from 6pm to 6am. For exam­ple, the Gatwick Airport, 85 years later, handles 400,000 passengers yearly. 

While Abuja Airport  han­dles only 40,000 passengers a year. 

He said If we have that kind of volume go­ing through Gatwick and it has not been shutdown, we need to look at it again before we move out of Abuja.

“he further said Alternatively, the runway in Abuja is 3,900 metres.

 If you divid  the runway in two, you will get 2,000 metres. 

He said We can fix one side for 3 weeks and come back to the other side with 2,000 metres runway. 

A Boeing seven hundred and thirty seven can comfortably get onto it on a one hour flight.

A Dash-8, A PRJ, and local carriers can come in he said.

“while The international carriers can go to kano and Lagos and redistribute from there. That is our own opinion.

While bringing concerns over the capacity of the Kaduna Air­port to handle such large volume of passengers, Meggisso appeal the government to reconsider its plan:

“he added that Abuja Airport, yes, is dete­riorated.

He said, Abuja needs to be re­paired right now but we should look at how it will become a win-win situation.”

Mr Osho Joseph Speaking on behalf of the In­ternational Airline Operators (IAO),he raised posers over the availability of science of flying by machine fuel for airlines in Kaduna and advised the government to recon­sider Kaduna Airport as an alter­native route for just only local airlines.

In his response, the Minis­ter of State for science of flying machine, which is Senator Hadi Sirika,he  said that all the con­cerns raised by the airline oper­ators were taken into consid­eration before the government reached the decision for a tem­porary closedown.

He stated that: “What you said is not new to us;that the can work at night and achieve results without clos­ing the airport only if the repair is on the surface. 

That is if you are showing up again.

“The structure of the run­way right through the bottom; all the four levels are in they state of decay and completely gone! It opens up without giving you notice.

 He said, We need to do this runway, we will be working for six months without closing day in day out like he said they do it in Gatwick for six months but we are  doing just six weeks of closure to be able in six weeks to attend to the central part of that runway.

“he added that This working at night with­out the closure of the airport is what we have been doing for 14 years after the lifespan of that runway and we still achieved the same result. 

He state that the Engineers have looked at it, there were four inter­national consultants that were in­vited who worked on the runway for three months and came back with the same results”.

The minister allayed fears by the stakeholders on the problem of safety and security along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway and the road leading to the airport. 

He assured them that quality measures are being put in place to  make nsure that the safety of passengers coming from Abuja.

Mr Sirika said that the stakehold­ers will be ask  to come and inspect the Kaduna Airport,Nnamdi Azikiwe Road the Abuja-Ka­duna Road,and the screening points to get the level of prepared­ness, so that they can make more input should they not be im­pressed with what they will see.”

The kaduna state Governor mr Nasir el-Rufai who was repre­sented by the mr Gambo Hamza the Executive Secretary, Kaduna Investment Promotion Agency, as­sured stakeholders of adequate security as well as the state’s pre­paredness to make the airport suitable for the operators.

“We see this as a very first in order project for Nigeria. 

He added that In terms of security, from Abuja to Kadu­na, there will be 20 policemen on every 11 kilometres. 

We are doing all the clearing that is need to assist the Feder­al Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to get the project online.

 The Nnamdi Azikiwe Road has been fixed at this moment.

He said By the the end of January We will deliver  on what is expected from Kaduna State.

He said that the Federal Gov­ernment has picked Mohammed joji the for­mer Managing Director of the defunct Nigerian Airways, as chairman of a transitional committee for the relocation of flights to and from Abuja to Kaduna Airport.

An online news medium said mr Mohammed joji confirmed his appointment last night.

“Yes, I have just been ap­pointed this morning by the minister of science of flying machine as the chair­man of the transition committee for the temporary relocation of Abuja flights to Kaduna.

“mr Mohammed joji said I am on my way back from Abuja to Kaduna after the meet­ing with the minister and ac­ceptance of the appointment.