‘Kaduna Airport 92 per cent ready for traffic’

Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has affirmed the readiness of the Kaduna Airport to receive Abuja-bound flights when the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) is closed in March.

FAAN said this to allay fears of air travellers that are worried about the level of infrastructure upgrade and facilities required for smooth diversion during the six-week repair work of the NAIA runway.

Recall that the Federal Government said there is no going back on the closure of the airport from March 8 to April 19, to allow for runway rehabilitation exercise. During this period, all the Abuja-bound domestic and international flights will be diverted to Kaduna Airport.

Kaduna Airport Manager, Amina Ozi-Salami, during an on-site inspection, said the airport was ready to handle the expected traffic upsurge as soon as the NAIA is closed.

Ozi-Salami said the runway was in perfect condition while the capacity of the airport had been enhanced to accommodate any type of aircraft.

She added that the lighting of the runway would be completed during the week as well as enhancing the needed manpower to meet the operational needs during the six weeks period.

The fire and safety equipment as well as the navigational equipment of the airport, she noted, were being upgraded in line with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standard.

“We are going to also boost the manpower by deploying staff from Abuja to Kaduna and we are bringing in 40 fire and safety staff and 57 security staff.

“The management has been making effort to stop villagers around the airport from trespassing and the state government has started working on the vandalised portion of the perimeter fencing. With the synergy among the security agencies, the issue of security has been taken care of,” she said.

On-site project engineer, Kazeem Keji, disclosed that the new terminal was 92 per cent completed and will be ready by the end of February.

Keji said the target of the contractor was to complete the project before the end of February, adding that the deadline for the completion was February. 28.

He explained that the major component of the project had been completed, the fittings, lightings and the ceiling would be fixed during the week.

“We are not looking at the March 8 date, our deadline for completion is February ending and we are going to finish it. We have done the major part of the project, it is only the fittings that we are expecting to be delivered after which the ceiling will be fixed,” he said.

At the fire tender, Head of Fire and Safety, Abubakar Danladi, said further that three fire tenders were functional, while others were being repaired, adding that the authority would also provide additional new ones to help them attain “Category 9” rating.