Updated
The Federal Government has reportedly extended the timeline for repair work on the runway of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Aiport in Abuja, by another 18 weeks.
According to Daily Trust, a highly-placed official in the presidency, revealed this in a statement made available to State House correspondents on Sunday.
The official, who pleaded anonymity, said the second phase of the upgrade work would be done at night, to avoid disruption of flight schedules.
The Abuja Airport was shut down on March 8, 2017 and is expected to be re-opened on April 19.
“After the Abuja Airport reopens for operations on April 19, upgrade works on the runway will continue for another 18 weeks. This second phase of upgrade works on the runway will be carried out at night, with no disruption to flight schedules,” the official said.
Despite assurances from the official, inside sources say the 18 extra weeks will affect the smooth flow of activities at the airport.
Reports showed that over 43,000 passengers passed through the Kaduna Airport in its first 11 days of operation, as alternative to the Abuja Airport.
The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport was temporarily closed from midnight on Tuesday, March 7, 2017, to enable the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), carry out major rehabilitation of the runway at the airport.
FAAN’s managing director, Saleh Dunoma, appealed to airline operators, passengers, airport users and other stakeholders to bear with the FAAN, saying it would continue to upgrade facilities at the nation’s airports.
He explained that this was in compliance with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) annexes.
__________
Follow us on Twitter at @thesignalng
Copyright 2017 SIGNAL. Permission to use portions of this article is granted provided appropriate credits are given to www.signalng.com and other relevant sources.
