The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja, is now open for operations and has been certified to accommodate international and local flights.
This is according to the Minister of State for Aviation, Mr Hadi Sirika, who told journalists at the airport in the nation’s capital that the rehabilitation of the runway is 100 per cent complete.
The minister landed at the airport at about 11:15am on board a Caverton helicopter from Kaduna, a day to the date scheduled for the reopening.
The Federal Government had on Monday said the runway of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport Abuja, is 100 per cent complete and set for reopening to airlines on Wednesday, April 19.
The Airport Manager, Mr Mahmud Sani, who disclosed this to Channels Television in Abuja, said the terminal buildings at the airport have been upgraded for the safety and comfort of passengers.
“The airport is good to go. We thank the Federal Government for rehabilitating the Abuja Airport.
It is not only the runway that was rehabilitated, we also seized the opportunity to improve on our facilities at the terminal building. As you can see, every part of the terminal building is being touched,” he said.
The Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr Saleh Dunoma, had also reaffirmed that the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport’s runway would be ready ahead of the reopening.
“We are leaving the remaining two days for Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). We have written to them and they will do the preliminary inspection. They have to certify the airport that what we have done is in accordance with their standards”.
Mr Dunoma also disclosed that the authority used the opportunity provided by the airport’s closure to address other airport excellence in safety (APEX) related items.
Earlier, the Minister of State for Aviation Hadi Sirika, had said that he would resign if the Airport was not opened by April 19, 2017.