According to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), in the coming months it has met all the necessary certification requirements for Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano and Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa.
Henrietta Yakubu, FAAN’s general manager of corporate affairs, said this while talking to the Nigeria News Agency (NAN) in Lagos on Monday.
Ms Yakubu said that this followed the successful 2017 Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja certification.
“Sometimes late last year, a team from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) visited Nigeria to conduct an airport audit,” she said. It is from that audit that we now have a checklist of open items that we are now going to try to close.
“After all the open items have been closed, ICAO will give us the go-ahead for airport certification ; but I can assure you that we are still on course.
“The International Airport of Mallam Aminu Kano will soon be certified. We’re not going to certify Port Harcourt too long after that. They went to Port Harcourt and went to Kano when the audit team came to that inspection.
“So, I can assure you from now on that it won’t be too long.
“Mr. Saleh Dunoma, FAAN Managing Director, promised to deliver at least all international airports during his tenure ; and he has already delivered Lagos and Abuja.”
According to her, the current drive towards the certification of Nigerian airports is very important not only as a requirement of ICAO and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations, but more importantly as one of the key safety goals of the ministerial declaration of Abuja.
When the new international terminal buildings were completed, Mr Yakubu announced that Kano International Airport Terminal would be inaugurated within the next two months as the work had already reached an advanced stage.
However, she explained that the new Lagos International Airport terminal building was delayed because from the initial design the project had to be located in another area.
“Kano airport will be inaugurated within the next two months, and when we do that, we’ll move on to MMIA, Lagos.
“Where the Lagos terminal is now located, it was not the original place and now ; the new terminal must be connected to the old existing terminal.
“Many structures will also have to move to connect the runway. These are the issues we are currently struggling with,” said Ms Yakubu.
She praised FAAN’s accomplishments under the leadership of Dunoma and Sen. Hadi Sirika, Minister of State for Aviation.
“Under this administration, FAAN has done very well. Two airports have been certified over the course of these four years.
“For Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and also for the rehabilitation of the airport runway, we also received an award for safety.
“Within this administration, good things happened to us. With the installation of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) monitors, we were able to deal with the problems of vanting and pilfering at our airports.
“The minister of aviation and MD FAAN do not rest on their oars. They want us to improve our facilities so that passengers and goods at our airports are safe and secure,” she said.
