As Commercial Flight Operation Begins at Anambra Airport

Chinedu Eze

It was a historical moment last Tuesday when the first commercial flight landed at the Anamabra State International Cargo Airport, Umueri.

The excitement and satisfaction evoked by the successful landing and take off of the Embraer ERJ 145 jet operated by Air Peace, was indescribable. To the Anambra state government, it was a dream that came true; the actualization of a dream that at a time bordered on dilemma and uncertainty, as the lofty project was mired in vindictive politics.

But on that Tuesday every citizen from that state was proud of the airport because many Anambra people thought having such facility in the state was overdue as they remain arguably the most travelled people in Nigeria.

Anambra International Cargo Airport, Umueri, THISDAY learnt was built in a record time of 15 months by the Willie Obiano-led AnambraState Government. The government said it did not borrow a kobo nor did it seek any form of financial aid to build the airport.

The Anambara government said nine contractors and nine service providers built the airport. None of the contractors or service providers is owed a kobo.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. James Eze, told THISDAY that a test flight was performed on April 30, 2021 and that the first plane that landed at the airport was a plane from the Air Peace fleet owned by Chief Allen Onyema, an indigene of the state.

He said the airport is expected to create about 1000 direct and indirect jobs.
“The Anambra International Cargo and Passenger airport is a legacy of the Willie Obiano led APGA administration. A promise that was fulfilled after three decades. The airport is a Category (CAT) 4F airport. This means that an Airbus A380 aircraft can land comfortably at the airport. The runway is the second-longest runway in Nigeria with: Length – 3.7km and a runway end safety area (RESA) of 1km at both ends of the runway; width – 60 m; strip – 440 metres on either side of the runway and thickness – 270mm,” Eze said.

He also explained that the runway is equipped with Category 2 lighting system, which implies that a plane can be guided by the light to land safely even in adverse weather conditions.

“The airport is equipped with a satellite landing system (SLS). This provides for satellite assisted landing of aircraft should the runway lights fail for any reason. The airport also has Instrument landing system (ILS)which ensures that aircraft are vertically and horizontally aligned with the runway while landing. The airport has two taxiways. The airport apron measures 300 metres by 200 metres. This means that it can accommodate eight Boeing 747 aircraft at the same time. It is built on a rigid pavement of concrete with a thickness measuring 560mm and reinforced top and bottom with concrete measuring 16mm in thickness,” he said.

Eze also explained that the apron is built to repel water. So even when it rains, water runs off the surface easily, adding that the control tower is at the height of 34.5 metres, saying that the control tower of the airport is the tallest in Nigeria.

“It is built with concrete top to bottom, it is the height of an 11-storey building; the control tower has nine suspended floors, it is equipped with a lift and a staircase; both the lift and staircase are fireproof; it is also equipped with biometric security doors and every room in the control tower and indeed the entire airport is equipped with a water sprinkler. However, the control tower has a self-fire fighting system that triggers off when there’s a fire emergency.

Eze also said the terminal building is designed to accommodate 400 passengers and it has other features that include one departure terminal and arrival lounge; there are 36 shops in the building; there are three lifts and three escalators and two Avio bridges, each equipped with dual boarding passages. This means that four aircraft can board passengers at the same time.

The airport is CAT 9 airport. It has three fire tenders (fire engines) that can shoot water up to the height of the control tower. The tenders can be controlled by the driver alone and the airport is also equipped with 20 hydrants.

The airport is also equipped with two industrial boreholes, which pump water into tank 1 that is 640 cubic metres, tank 2 that is 240 cubic metresand there is also a water treatment plant that takes water to overhead tanks, so the total volume of overhead tanks is 123 cubic metres.

The airport has A 33 KVA line drawn from Agụ Awka to the airport that guarantees an 18-hour power supply. There are two units of 500KVA generators that serve as a backup to provide power always. The car park is asphalted and properly marked. It is designed to accommodate about 750 vehicles.

“The airport road has two access roads. The first and major airport road measures about 5.7km and connects the Onitsha-Enugu expressway to the airport. It is a dual carriageway road fitted with a bridge on either side of the carriageway. It has drainages on both sides. The road is completed, clearly marked and fitted with streetlights. The second airport road measures about 4km and connects the airport to the Nteje-Umueri-Aguleri road. The driveways within the airport are all asphalted and marked,” Eze said.

THISDAY learnt that currently the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) allows small body aircraft to operate to the airport, but bigger aircraft would be allowed when other operational standards are met.