Abstract
- Runway 18R/36L at Lagos Airport has reopened after 11 months, welcoming worldwide flights.
- Initially projected to final eight weeks, the delays in upkeep closure precipitated disruptions for airways.
- In the meantime, the FAAN is relocating its headquarters again to Lagos and has confronted modifications in management over the previous few months.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has reopened the principle runway at Lagos Murtala Muhammed Worldwide Airport (LOS) after almost a yr of upkeep work. The 12,794-foot (3,900-meter) runway 18R/36L is now absolutely operational and has begun receiving worldwide flights.
The eight-week runway upkeep challenge
Runway 18R/36L was closed for upkeep by the airports authority in March 2023. Over the previous 11 months, all airways and plane have needed to make the most of the shorter runway 18L/36R, usually meant for home flights. This was a part of the FAAN’s goal to enhance security on the airport.
Photograph: Denver Worldwide Airport
With the consequences of closing the principle runway in thoughts, the FAAN had notified stakeholders that the upkeep work would solely final about eight weeks. Nonetheless, after a nine-month delay, Runway 18R/36L has been opened for worldwide flights once more.
As reported by PUNCH, the Nigerian Airspace Administration Company (NAMA) issued a Discover to Airmen (NOTAM) on February 15, notifying operators of the runway’s opening. Nonetheless, the runway needed to be closed once more for undisclosed causes, because the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority stopped airways from utilizing it. It turned operational on February 17 after airways had been cleared to land.
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The closure will happen throughout the airport’s peak working hours.
Disruptions and modifications during the last 11 months
In keeping with a number of native stories, Kenya Airways was among the many first worldwide carriers to land on the runway, receiving a water cannon salute. Since then, the airport has obtained over 90 worldwide passenger and cargo flights. Qatar Airways, KLM, Air France, Virgin Atlantic, Delta Air Strains, United Airways, and Ethiopian Airways are additionally among the many worldwide carriers serving Lagos.
Photograph: Karolis Kavolelis | Shutterstock
In the course of the closure interval, home and worldwide operators reportedly confronted a number of disruptions and extra prices as a result of operational challenges of utilizing the shorter different runway. Final month, the brand new FAAN Managing Director, Olubunmi Oluwaseun Kuku, reassured stakeholders of the approaching opening of runway 18R/36L, saying,
“Regarding runway 18R/36L, we did have some delays initially. Coming onboard, we have now requested that the contractor returns to the positioning instantly, and we have now all of the help from the Honorable Minister and the Everlasting Secretary. The reopening is deliberate for the following few weeks, and we’re retaining our fingers crossed. I’m sure that it’ll not be so long as you waited for. I do perceive that the preliminary plan for that runway was six weeks.”
Over the previous 11 months, Nigeria’s Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Growth, together with the FAAN, underwent a number of modifications that might have affected the length of the Lagos runway upkeep challenge. In August, a brand new Minister of Aviation, Festas Keyamo, was appointed following the top of the earlier administration’s time period. About 4 months later, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu made a number of modifications within the aviation sector, changing the heads of assorted businesses, together with the Managing Director of the FAAN.
Relocation of the FAAN headquarters
In the meantime, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria is relocating its headquarters from Abuja to its unique base in Lagos, following a directive from the aviation minister. Though initially rejected by a number of stakeholders, the authority confirmed this on January 18.
Photograph: shynebellz | Shutterstock
The company headquarters was moved from Lagos to Abuja in 2020, following a directive from the earlier aviation minister, Hadi Sirika. Nonetheless, final month, the FAAN famous, “It was ill-advised within the first place to maneuver the headquarters to Abuja,” because the authority didn’t have a single constructing within the metropolis. With out sufficient workplace house in Abuja, the affected FAAN workers have already returned to Lagos.
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