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Tag: abuja airport

  • Abuja Airport to undergo reconstruction for six weeks

    Abuja Airport to undergo reconstruction for six weeks

     

    …Airport to be closed between February and March 2017

    The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, will be closed for six weeks in February and March 2017, to carry out total repairs on the runway.

    This was disclosed by the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Siriki, while speaking to newsmen recently in Abuja.

    Sirika said the closure will allow Julius Berger carry out a total reconstruction on the badly damaged runway at the airport.

    He also added that President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the reconstruction.

    He also explained that the government could not afford to close down the Abuja Airport for much longer, considering its importance and economy of the FCT.

    He said: “From start to finish of the runway, it will take six months. However, we will be using the runway almost throughout the period except for about six weeks when the runway will be closed.

    “That is when we are going to do the mid-section of the runway.

    “The government has accepted the design done by the contractor. The runway will last for than 10 years on completion early next year.”

    According to him, passengers travelling to Abuja from any part of the world will use the Kaduna Airport during the six weeks.

    The federal government is expected to provide buses to convey the passengers to Abuja, while the state government will provide security.

    According to him, it will cost government substantial amount of money “but we think that palliative approach is wrong because three years down we will come back to do the same repairs.

    “Therefore, we decided to go for the bigger option which is to do structural repairs if the runway which will take about six months to complete.”

     

  • FG to close Abuja airport for 6 weeks

    The Federal Government has announced that the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, will be closed between February and March next year in order to carry out total reconstruction of its runway.

    According the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, who spoke with journalists yesterday, the airport runway would be shut for six weeks between February and March, 2017, when its mid-section would be reconstructed.

    He stated that the President had approved the reconstruction through the emergency procurement procedure for work to commence on the facility due to its economic and administrative significance to Nigeria.

    Sirika said, “From start to finish of the runway, it will take six months. However, we will be using the runway almost throughout the period except for about six weeks when the runway will be closed. That is when we are going to do the mid-section of the runway.”

    On the six weeks closure of the airport to passengers, the minister said Abuja bound passengers from any part of the world would use the Kaduna airport as an alternative.

    Sirika added, “It will cost the government a substantial amount of money but we thought in our wisdom that palliative approach is wrong because three years down, we will come back to do the same repairs. Therefore, we decided to go for the bigger option, which is to do structural repairs of the runway, which will take about six months to complete.”

    The minister stated that the Federal Government was not unaware of the pains passengers were going through due to the non-availability of aviation fuel and the scarcity of foreign exchange, which had also impacted negatively on the country’s finance.

    While pleading for understanding, he said consultation was ongoing with oil marketers, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the Central Bank of Nigeria to resolve the crisis.

    “Very soon, the country will be out of this as we cannot be relying on Ghana for aviation fuel,” Sirika said.

    On the Bilateral Air Service Agreement with other countries, he stated that the government had signed BASA with 18 nations that Nigerians frequently visited and did business with.

    “With this we have the freedom to fly and land safely in other air spaces and this will assist in opening up our market,” Sirika added.