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FAAN to reopen Port Harcourt Airport on December 18

 

 

Arrangements are in top gear by the Ministry of Transportation and the Federal Airports Authority of

Nigeria for the reopening of the Port Harcourt Airport on Tuesday, December 18, 2007.

 

The reopening of the airport to commercial operation, according to the Managing Director of FAAN, Mr. Richard Aisuebeogun, is in line with the earlier promise of the Minister of Transportation, Mrs.

Diezani Alison-Madueke, and the Minister of State for Transportation (Air Transport), Mr. Felix Hassan Hyat, that the airport would be opened to daylight operation by mid-December 2007.

Hyat is expected to visit Port Harcourt on Monday to inspect the level of work and make all ecessary

arrangements to meet the December 18 target.

 

The airport was closed on August 18, 2006 by FAAN and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority to allow for its rehabilitation and expansion, especially its runway, airfield lighting system and the terminal building. The runway of the airport has already been completed while the terminal building and its inherent facilities were wearing new look as at Sunday.

Airport officials and contractors were putting finishing touches to the markings of the runway as at

Saturday, while the contractor for the installation of a new airfield lighting system had visited the site in preparation for the installation in due course.

 

Officials of some of the airlines such as Chanchangi Airlines, Arik Air and Air France and ground handlers were also at the airport last week to renew their office allocations with FAAN and put all necessary facilities in place in preparation for the commencement of commercial operations at the airport.

 

The management of FAAN has also intensified the refurbishment of facilities, particularly the protocol lounge, at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos. The refurbishment of the protocol lounge, Aisuebeogun explained, was intended to meet the taste and desires of corporate organisations, including oil conglomerate like Agip, Texaco, who are the authority's clientele.

 

The FAAN management has further released two months allocations to all the nation's 21 airports for their maintenance in the last two weeks. The airports were hitherto owed about four months' maintenance allocation by the erstwhile management of the Authority.

The Authority will also this week expedite action on the rehabilitation of the terminal building and

airline offices at the Mallam Aminu Kano Airport, Kano and the Maiduguri Airport in line with the earlier promise of Alison-Madueke to improve on the standard and operation of the airports.

 

Akin Olukunle,

General Manager, Public Affairs, FAAN.