Abuja airport back in operation after 3-day closure

The Nnmadi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja on Monday resumed normal operations after a 30-hour closure of its runway in the second and last phase of its maintenance work.

Mrs Henrietta Yakubu,  the  deputy general manager, corporate communications department, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), stated this in an interview with NAN.

Yakubu said that the runway was officially opened for operations at 6 a.m, paving way for the resumption of all domestic and international flight operations as scheduled for landing and take-off at the airport.

“Lufthansa Airline and British Airways have landed and taken off this morning (Monday) after the maintenance work,” she said.

“The airport is busy now; all the terminals are full, especially the domestic section where we have the Arik and Dana booking areas.”

She reiterated that the maintenance work at the runway would ensure safety.

“This is the last phase of the maintenance work at the runway; the Abuja airport will remain open to operations,” she said.

Human and vehicular movement into the airport was heavy after the resumption.

A businessman, Mr Niyi Adedayo, said the closure affected his business turnover, especially as the airport authorities did not give adequate notification to the public.

“Because of the closure, I could not meet an appointment scheduled for 9 a.m. on Monday because my flight was rescheduled,” he said.

“I got the information on the plan to close the airport three days to the closure and my appointment had already been booked two weeks earlier.

“In future, decisions like this should be given at least a month’s publicity and notification to enable intending passengers reschedule their programmes.”

Another traveller, Mrs Joyce Okafor, said the maintenance work was stressful for her because she needed to travel to Lagos for holidays with her three children.

“The airport hall is full to capacity and one cannot even move freely to make inquiries about the airlines,” she said.

“Even though the closure of the airport affected me, the maintenance work on the runway is to ensure safety so I don’t have a problem with that.”