FAAN: No Plan to Shut Down Enugu Airport Before Christmas

Chinedu Eze

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has assured Nigerians that it has no plans to shut down the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu before Christmas or anytime soon due to the condition of the airport runway, as reports had indicated.

The assurance was given by the Enugu Airport Manager and the Regional Manager, South East, Mr. Hillary Umunna, who told THISDAY in an exclusive telephone interview yesterday that the airport is currently in the best shape, admitting that remedial work was done at the runway, which puts it in good stead for flight operations to continue.

Umunna said that a lot of flights operated Sunday, which include Ethiopian Airlines, which departed by 1:31 pm local time from Enugu to Addis Ababa; Air Peace flight to Lagos at 12; 07 pm; Ibom Air and Green Africa Airways also operated to and from the airport.

Air Peace also operated Enugu to Abuja at 8:40 am; Enugu-Lagos, 11:50 am; and Ibom Air operated Enugu-Lagos, 1:45 pm; Enugu- Abuja, 3:30 pm.

Also, United Nigeria Airlines operated Enugu-Lagos 2:45 pm; Enugu-Abuja, 5:45 pm as well as Green Africa, which operated Enugu to Lagos, he said.

Umunna said that despite the peculiar issues associated with the topography where the Enugu runway was built, the facility has remained serviceable because it is always maintained by the management of FAAN.
He noted that due to the sensitive nature of airport runways, they always require continuous maintenance to be able to carry the weight of aircraft.

He disclosed that recently a technical team from the FAAN headquarters in Lagos came to inspect the runway to see if it required major work, noting that the inspectors did not indicate that any major work would be done on the facility any time soon.

The Airport Manager, however, admitted that  during the rains the runway usually require more maintenance to ensure that it is safe for flight operations, adding that if there is any need for a more comprehensive work to be done at the airport runway it would be after the Christmas season.