Airlines Face Undue Pressure over Planned Closure of Abuja Airport

Chinedu Eze

Few days to March 8, 2017 when the Abuja international airport would be closed for repair of its runway, airlines are yet to complete arrangements for movement of their Abuja operations to Kaduna, the alternative airport.

The federal government had directed both domestic and foreign airlines to continue their operation to Abuja by using the kaduna as alternative airport. It had also allayed the fears of foreign airlines about insecurity on the Abuja-Kaduna highway.

A charter operator and former Managing Director of Nigeria Airways Limited, Captain Mohammed Joji, whose operation is based in Kaduna, had expressed disappointment with foreign airlines which cited incessant kidnapping on the Abuja-Kaduna highway as reason for resisting their movement to Kaduna.

Joji told THISDAY recently in Kaduna that all the facilities necessary for seamless flight operation had been provided in Kaduna and dismissed the kidnap fears, saying that kidnapping happens everywhere in Nigeria.

THISDAY spoke to some domestic carriers who said they would want to go to Kaduna so that the repair work on the Abuja airport runway could be done; however some said they would reduce their frequency to the Kaduna airport.

“We know that there will be cut down on the volume of passengers so we do not know yet the level of reduction, so from our four daily flights from Lagos to Abuja, we will start with two flights daily to Kaduna from Lagos in the morning and in the evening, then if there is any encouragement, we add another frequency,” an airline official told THISDAY.

But while domestic carriers have positive disposition towards the temporary move, which would last only six weeks, majority of international airlines have cancelled their flights to Abuja until the reopening of the airport, so they would not operate to Kaduna airport.

Reports revealed that British Airways, Lufthansa, Air France and South African Airways declined the government’s suggestion to divert their flights to Kaduna, while Ethiopian Airlines says it would fly there.

According to the airlines, Kaduna’s attractiveness dimmed on Feb. 23 when two German archaeologists were kidnapped and released days later in a village near the Federal Capital Territory.

Spokesman of the international airlines, Kingsley Nwokoma, told THISDAY that there are certain reasons why the foreign carriers would not operate to Kaduna airport.

“The major reason is security. The road between Abuja and Kaduna has many issues, security wise. There has been so much kidnapping on that road. The second reason is that the local carriers are not in any form of partnership with these international airlines so that they can code-share. Ethiopia Airlines might go to Kaduna, but the major carriers like British Airways, Lufthansa, KLM, Air France, South Africa Airways, Etihad, Qatar, Emirates, Turkish airlines will not go to Kaduna,” Nowkoma said.

THISDAY learnt that some of these airlines wanted to increase their frequency or transfer their Abuja flights to Lagos but government reportedly refused.

But Nwokoma insisted that government cannot force the airlines to operate to Kaduna, if the airlines in all considerations say they would not be able to operate to Kaduna.