Muritala Muhammed, P'Harcourt, Others to Get Competitor as New international Airport Set to Launch

• The government of Ebonyi State declared that it awaits approval from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority to begin commercial flight operations
• It revealed a sizable financial commitment to the Chuba Okadigbo International Airport's runway rehabilitation at the Airport Business Summit & Expo
• The 3.1-kilometre runway at the airport, according to her, has been fully resurfaced and has a usefulness history that goes back more than a century

Legit.ng journalist Zainab Iwayemi has over 3-year-experience covering the Economy, Technology, and Capital Market.

The Ebonyi State government announced that, as it waits for the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to approve the start of commercial flights, it has committed a significant amount of money for runway restoration at the Chuba Okadigbo International Airport.

This was revealed yesterday at the ninth annual Airport Business Summit & Expo in Lagos by its Commissioner for Aviation and Transport Technology, Dr Ngozi Obichukwu.

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She claimed in The Nation that the airport's 3.1-kilometre runway has been completely resurfaced and has a utility timeline spanning more than a century.

According to her, the state administration has increased its efforts to make sure that everything is in place for the airport to become operational, pending regulatory authorities' approval for commercial operations.

According to Dr. Obichukwu, a portion of the substantial investment in the facility includes the state government's approval in September 2023 of a substantial sum set aside for the repair of the runway. The Infrastructure Development Company was given an eight-month delivery date for the project.

She said,

“Last year, when the airport was completed, the runway’s slippery nature caused issues with flights. Consequently, the governor intervened to upgrade the runway to meet the required standards; the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and NCAA guided the upgrade.

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“On July 30th, the runway was completed to international standards, with concrete base and asphalt finish. The Chuba Okadigbo International Airport runway, marked and ready, can now support three Boeing 747s landing simultaneously.

She also mentioned that flight operations should start as soon as the NCAA team completes inspections and issues the required approvals.

FAAN Declares 19 Airports in Nigeria Unviable

Legit.ng reported that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had declared 19 out of the 22 airports in Nigeria financially unviable.

Olubunmi Kuku, FAAN’s managing director, disclosed this while speaking on national television on July 9, 2024.

According to Kuku, the government is cross-subsidising the 19 airports and will continue to do so for some of the new airports being developed.

Proofread by Kola Muhammed, journalist and copyeditor at Legit.ng

Source: Legit.ng