ABUJA AIRPORT TO BE READY TWO DAYS BEFORE DEADLINE

The Managing Director of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Saleh Dunoma, has said the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, would be ready by April 17 – two days before the six-week deadline elapses.

Dunoma said this in a statement signed by the media consultant to the Minister of State for Aviation, Mr Ariyo Akinfenwa, on Sunday in Lagos.

“We will be ready April 17 but we are leaving the remaining two days for Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA)

“We have written to them and they will come by today (Sunday) to do the preliminary inspection.

“They have to certify the airport that what we have done is in accordance with their standards.

“If there is any observation as a result of the inspection, we will now make sure we carry out corrections,” the FAAN boss said.

Dunoma also stated that with the level of work done, the April 19 deadline will not be moved.

“All the critical items of work are 100 per cent except may be two items; which of course are the markings and the cleaning.

“Asphalt work is 100 per cent, markings have reached almost 70 per cent and the airfield lighting system has reached 80 per cent, ” Dunoma added.

He added: ”We are now levelling all the airfield lightings’ locations, all the installations and flash with the ground surface.

“In case of any skidding, there will not be concrete projection above the ground surface.”

He also said the new runway does not need calibration, because the previous Navigational Aids were not tampered with.

“The runway does not need calibration. All we need to check is to make sure there is 100 per cent illumination.

“Calibration is done periodically. When the time come for calibration, the appropriate authority will calibrate the Instrument Landing System (ILS),” Dunoma said.