The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is set to shut down the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu State to allow contractors fix the runway which has been in a state of disrepair in recent months.
The poor state of the runway has led to flood taking over a greater part of the runway whenever it rains, even as pilots repeatedly complain of encountering potholes while landing aircraft at the Enugu airport, a trend considered inimical to air safety.
Spokeswoman for FAAN, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu in a statement on Saturday said the closure would commence on August 24., 2019 but didn’t say when the repair work would be completed and the airport reopened.
“We hereby notifies airlines, passengers and all other stakeholders that effective 00:00 on 24th August, 2019, the runway at Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu will be closed for major repairs and works on the airfield,” Yakubu said.
“This move is aimed at resolving the existing safety and security concerns to flight operations. A date to reopen the runway will be communicated in due course,” she added.
The shutdown will however come at a great price to air travelers in the South Eastern zone of the country as international flights by Ethiopian Airways and a couple of other domestic flights would be suspended pending the conclusion of repairs of the runway.
Daily Sun learnt that traffic might however be diverted to neigbouring airports in Owerri, Asaba, and Port Harcourt.
