Plane lands in Abuja airport for the first time in six weeks
A plane has landed in the rehabilitated Nnamdi Azikiwe International airport, Abuja, for the first time in six weeks.
According to Channels Television, it was a test flight from Kaduna international airport.
Hadi Sirika, minister of state for aviation, was said to be on board the aircraft.
The airport was closed on March 8 to enable the federal government carry out repairs on the runway.
Closure of the airport had sparked criticisms but government stood its ground, saying rehabilitation of the facility was long overdue.
A brand new Airbus A350-900 belonging to Ethiopian Airlines is expected to touch down at the Abuja airport any moment from now.
Firiehiwot Mekonnen, Ethiopian Airlines’ traffic and sales manager, told NAN that the decision to fly the new aircraft to Abuja is because of the belief in the Nigerian market.
Ethiopian Airlines was the only foreign airline that made use of the Kaduna airport during the period that flights were diverted from Abuja.
However, Nigerian airlines have released schedules of Abuja flights, starting from Wednesday.
It’s heartwarming to note that ABV would open soon. Meanwhile, there should have been no need for so much critisism for the closure of ABV. The airport needed a renovation and government had to do it. If the short convenience was to create way for a good job, so be it. I wish major infrastructure in Nigeria would be closed for a few weeks also and renovated over short periods. The choice of Kaduna Airport, was also facilitated wt the Abuja-Kaduna railroad. This was another good one. We just have to learn to bear some inconveniences for a better result. Please when are we having Lagos-Port Harcourt, Kano to Sokoto, Abuja-Onitsha and Calabar to Jos Railroads so we can travel more in Nigeria?