FAAN to Re-open International Runway at Lagos Airport to Curb Delays, Airlines’ High Cost of Operation

Chinedu Eze

After almost one year of its closure for rehabilitation, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has announced that it will reopen Runway 18R, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, known as the international runway, to curb flight delays and financial losses incurred by airlines.

This was disclosed at the weekend by the Managing Director of FAAN, Mrs. Olubumi Kuku when she inspected activities at the two international terminals at the airport during the peak hours of flight operations.

Airlines incur losses due to delays caused by flight traffic, as all flights take off and land on the only operational runway, Runway 18L, which is meant for domestic flight service.

Foreign airlines said they consume much fuel taxiing to the domestic runway to take off and also from there to the international terminal after landing, which takes longer time and also adds to the delays.

 Kuku said rehabilitation work at the runway was interrupted, adding that it resumed after she took over the management of the agency and assured that in a few weeks, the facility would resume to provide service to airlines.

“Concerning the 18 Right runway, we did have some delays initially. Coming on board, we have asked that the contractor return to the site immediately. We also engaged the AON (Airline Operators of Nigeria) on our plans for reopening the runway, because we will be opening through an entering method. We’ve coordinated with NAMA (the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency), being our air traffic controllers, as well as with the NCAA (the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority) in terms of our plan to open that runway. So, we should expect it to be reopened relatively soon as we are working closely with the contractor. We have all the support from the Honorable Minister and the Permanent Secretary.

“The reopening is planned for the next few weeks. We are keeping our fingers crossed. I know that our stakeholders have been waiting. We are working very closely to get it reopened. I am certain that it will not be as long as you waited. I do understand that the initial plan for that runway is six weeks. We will do our best. We did have some delays,” she said.

Kuku said that a solution must be found to the chaos that happens at the international terminals of the Lagos airport during peak hours; when passengers rush to meet their flights and there is high vehicular movement in front of the terminals, saying that the chaos caused by the mix of travellers and non- travellers who throng the airport every day must be checked.

“There has to be a solution, but because we cannot afford to keep this going. We owe it to our passengers. We owe it to ourselves. We have said that our core responsibility at FAAN is to provide a good passenger experience with good infrastructure, safety, and comfort. So, we will make sure that it’s done and that’s why I’m here.

Reacting to the ubiquitous sale of currencies at the front of the terminals, the FAAN Managing Director said that those who operate the Bureau de Change have offices designated for them.

“So, they ought not to stay in the open in front of the airport,” adding that such constitutes a security breach and lack of orderliness around the airport.