Mixed Reactions over Closure of Enugu Airport

Some air travellers who use the Akanu Ibiam International Airport Enugu have lamented the closure of the airport, saying that the duration of the airport closure will bring about huge inconvenience to them.

The travellers who spoke to THISDAY, said that the development was worsen by the fact that roads to Asaba and Owerri, where there are alternative airports from Enugu are bad. Therefore, they pointed out that it would be extremely inconveniencing for them to travel through those airports.

But some others told THISDAY that it was a right decision to close the airport due to safety concerns, and that they were ready to bear the pain.

But taxi operators and shop owners at the airport also lamented the huge loss of revenue they would incur during the period of the closure, saying what worried them most was the uncertainty about when the rehabilitation work would be completed and the airport re-opened for flight operations.

The Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu was closed on August 24 for the rehabilitation of the runway and the installation of other safety critical facilities to ensure safe flight operation.

The dilapidated runway which constituted safety threat and lack of other facilities prompted the closure, as the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had earlier stated that it wanted to install airfield lighting and approach lights to enable flight operations take place in the night.

An official of FAAN who works at the airport told THISDAY that lack of good roads to Owerri and Asaba was already a challenge to the passengers who use the Enugu airport.

He said businessmen and women in Aba, Onitsha, Enugu and other places in the South East have had a relief moving their imported goods through Ethiopia Airlines, which operated to Enugu before the closure.

“Now, it would become extremely difficult for such travellers to use Lagos airport to convey their goods.

“The only thing that is possible is to ensure that that the repair of the runway does not take long. The people of South East should rally and support FAAN and the federal government to ensure that the work on the runway is completed by November so that the people

of the region would use it in December during festivities,” he added.

He said FAAN would ensure that a good contractor is given the job to do because, “the airport runway has peculiar case. Water stored under the runway so it must be given to a contractor that would do quality job and ensure that water does not stay under the runway again. Otherwise, the work will not last long and the runway will cave in again.”

Also the Managing Director and CEO of OAS Helicopters, Captain Evarest Nnaji, said operators fully support the closure of the airport because it was done for safety reasons but urged that FAAN should concentrate and do a good job and also avoid unnecessary delay.

“Let them fix the runway quickly. They should also do quality work so that the airport will not be closed again for a long time. So as painful and stressful as the closure may be, it was done because of safety.

“So I will encourage our people to bear the pain. After all, we are not worst hit. We have Asaba and Owerri airports that are less than 100 kilometers to Enugu. There are other cases where you may not even see any alternative airport that close,” Captain Nnaji said.