NCAA Declares Kaduna Airport Ready for International Operations

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has declared the Kaduna International Airport fit and ready for 24 hours of local and international operations.

In a statement issued by the agency and signed by its spokesman, Sam Adurogboye, NCAA said all necessary steps to ensure that the status of the airport as an Alternate Airport to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, (NAIA), during the closure have been put in place.

“The navigational aids have been well calibrated and fully functional to facilitate continuous smooth landings and takeoffs.

“Therefore, towards a seamless flight operations in line with Standard and Recommended Practices (SARPs), all relevant departments and directorates with full complement of staff have been redeployed to Kaduna from the aviation agencies,” the agency said.

It added that the Regional Managers of NCAA Abuja and Kaduna offices are on ground to allow for smooth integration of the additional staff coming to Kaduna.

“To sustain the safety and security of airline operations, a team of Aviation Safety Inspectors (ASI) from the Directorate of Airworthiness Standards (DAWS), Directorate of Consumer Protection, (DCP), Directorate of Air Transport Regulations (DATR), Directorate of Aerodrome and Airspace Standard, (DAAS) and aviation security personnel are already at the airport,” the agency also said.

It disclosed that the National Security Committee has designed and got approval for the security programme to cover the airport and its environs during the six weeks closure.

“All the relevant aviation agencies, the Regulatory Authority, (NCAA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigerian Customs and Excise, (NCS), Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Nigerian Police Force and other security services etc are all at the airport to provide unhindered facilitation of passenger traffic and flights.

“At the commencement of flights, it is expected that the Ethiopian Airlines will be the first scheduled airline to arrive the Kaduna International Airport upon the closure of Abuja Airport,” the statement.

The federal government plans to close the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja effectively today to allow for extensive repairs on the runway.

NCAA assured all passengers that “all hands are on deck to conduct a safe and secure air transport operations at all airports in Nigeria.”