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Nnamdi
Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja
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After the initial six
weeks, the Abuja airport runway will still require another 18 weeks of
‘upgrade,’ an official said on Sunday.
PREMIUM
TIMES report continues:
According
to a statement circulated to select journalists by the presidency, the 18
weeks’ upgrade would however, be carried out at night, meaning normal flight
operations will continue during the day.
The
source also said the Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has been
working diligently to minimize the inconvenience caused by the closure.
“After
the Abuja airport reopens for operations on April 19, upgrade works on the
runway would continue for another 18 weeks,” he said.
“This
second phase of upgrade works on the runway will be carried out at night, with
no disruption to flight schedules, the Presidency official further disclosed.”
The
source added that a media tour to allow reporters observe and assess the
progress of work on the Abuja airport runway repairs would hold this week.
He
added that “the repair is about its mid-point on Wednesday”.
The
committee had launched series of customer engagement initiatives to enable
passengers and travellers affected by the closure of the Abuja airport get
up-to-date information and updates.
These
include a Call Centre (open 7a.m to 10 p.m. Mondays to Fridays and 10 a.m. to 4
p.m. Saturdays and Sundays), a website (AbujaAirportClosure.info), and a
Twitter handle (@ABVClosure).
The
closure of the Abuja airport and subsequent use of the Kaduna airport has faced
heavy criticism even as most foreign airlines stayed away rather than use the
Kaduna airport.
Last
week, the House of Representatives condemned
the arrangements made at the Kaduna airport saying the airport was
unsafe and insecure,
On
Sunday, the presidency source also said the Federal Government Coordinating
Committee overseeing the repairs of Abuja airport said over 43,000 passengers have
passed through the Kaduna airport.
The
committee which also oversees the closure and relocation of passengers to
Kaduna airport, the alternative to the Abuja airport, said that the figure was
in respect of the first 11 days of operations in the exercise.
The
committee disclosed this in its latest data submitted to the presidency on the
Abuja airport’s repair, closure and relocation.
The
presidential aide, who preferred not to be named, said the figure was more than
the 41,000 passengers the Kaduna airport recorded in the entire first quarter
of 2015, and the 21,000 in the first quarter of 2016.
The
source also disclosed that, during this period, about 10,000 passengers took
advantage of the free bus shuttle, organised by the federal government to
transport passengers between the Abuja and Kaduna airports.
“The
free bus shuttle conveyed passengers between Abuja and Kaduna airports,
starting at the Abuja airport at 6 o’clock in the morning, and at the Kaduna
Airport from 8 a.m.
“The
shuttle takes 3 hours from airport to airport, and runs every 30 minutes, until
the arrival of the last daily flight in Kaduna.
“The
Shuttle is in addition to the federal government’s free train service between
Abuja and Kaduna.
“The
two-and-half-hour Train Service departs Abuja’s Idu Station for Kaduna at 6
a.m., 11.55 a.m. and 5.45 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays; and departs Kaduna’s
Rigasa Station for Abuja at 9 a.m., 2.50 p.m. and 8.40 p.m.,” the source said.
According
to the source, the reconstruction at the Abuja airport is going according to
schedule. He expressed optimism that the airport will reopen after six weeks as
planned.
The official is also involved in the presidential supervision of the airport closure and oversight.
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