TheCable

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has announced that the Nnamdi Azikiwe International airport, Abuja, will be closed for another 30 hours.

This is in addition to an earlier three-day closure of the airport.

According to coordinating general manager of aviation parastatals, Mr. Yakubu Dati, the closure is to allow the completion of the rehabilitation exercise that occasioned the first shutdown.

He said the second rehabilitation exercise would begin from Saturday July 12 and end on Monday July 14.

“The runway of the NAIA, which was closed for 30 hours for rehabilitation on July 5, 2014, has been reopened for flight operations,” he said.

“Reports from pilots who have used the runway so far indicate that the rehabilitation of a section of the runway was professionally executed and would enhance safety of flight operations on the runway.

“The second phase of the rehabilitation of the remaining section of the runway would however take place for another 30 hours at the weekend between Saturday 12, (2300 UTC) and Monday 14 (0500 UTC), 2014.”

Dati explained that the rehabilitation is being done in two phases to “minimise the inconvenience the runway closure would have on air passengers and aircraft operators if carried out at once”.

He conveyed the regrets of the authority on the inconvenience that would be caused by the second closure of the runway within one week.

“We wish to assure the public and all aviation stakeholders that the conclusion of the maintenance work on the runway would guarantee enhanced flight safety on the Abuja airport runway,” he added.

Named after Nigeria’s first president, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, the airport, Nigeria’s second-busiest, consists of an international and a domestic terminal, both of which share the same runway.

The closure will, therefore, affect both local and international flights.