With Longest Runway, Our Airport Leading Others in West African Sub-region, Says Ogun Govt

Jame Sowole in Abeokuta

The Ogun State government has declared that the Gateway International Agro-cargo Airport is the best in Nigeria and the West African corridor, with its runway, which is the longest.
 The state government made the claims during a meeting with the League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) at the facility, which was jointly hosted by the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Ade Akinsanya; Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Gbenga Dairo; the Airport Manager, Captain Dapo Olumide; and the Special Adviser to the Ogun State Governor on Media and Strategy, Hon. Kayode Akinmade.

 At the meeting, Akinsanya declared that the airport has the best facilities in Nigeria and the West African corridor, capable of accommodating wide-bodied aircraft.
According to Akinsanya, the airport, which is 95-98 per cent complete, has a runway that is 4 kilometres long and 60 million wide, which equals 17 lanes of road infrastructure, making it the longest and largest in Nigeria and the West African sub-region.

 He added that the size of the airport, especially with its long runway, was consciously planned to accommodate international flights coming in with wide-body aircraft like a Boeing 777 or A350.
 He said: “While the total size of the airport is 5,000 hectares, we started this first phase on 900 hectares; so, what you see as an open space is part of a master plan because this is also an aerotropolis. There are going to be hotels, amusement parks, and cinemas in the future; that is all part of the master plan. You can’t put everything together in one day.
 “Overall, where we are today, I am pretty certain that we are ready to go commercial. Once we get the approval from the NCAA for commercial operations, we will commence. Right now, we have the approval for chartered flights.

“The runway has been completed for a long time, the fire station is done, and you see the two fire tenders outside, with a new addition making it three. Right now, we are class six, and with that additional fire tender, we are moving to class seven,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Airport Manager, Captain Olumide, disclosed that the airport, when fully operational, would be the first in Nigeria to operate with an operating permit, while the Commissioner for Transportation stated that the airport is situated within a special agricultural processing zone and is one of the eight zones across Nigeria, describing the airport as a legacy project of Governor Dapo Abiodun.
 Captain Olumide linked the slight delay in the completion of the project to the government’s desire to attain a new status of operation, as opposed to what is common in the industry.
 According to him, the operating permit would enable the airport to attain the ENCAS 2023 permit, which is more stringent than the Aerodrome Certification.