The newly-constructed international terminal at the Nnamdi Azikiwe
International Airport in Abuja will be inaugurated by President
Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, an official says.
Mr Saleh Dunoma,
the Managing Director of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN),
told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja that all
requirements to make the facility functional had been met.
Dunoma
added that the terminal, which was being constructed by the China Civil
Engineering and Construction Company (CCECC), would be ready to
commence operation immediately after its inauguration on Thursday.
He
assured that all issues that could stop airlines from commencing
operation at the terminal had been addressed, adding that all
international airlines had expressed their readiness to use the
facility.
“Some foreign airlines would have loved to move in
earlier than this, but we have to wait until the contractors finish the
project.
“But the terminal building is ready for operation because everything that can make it work are already in place.
“There
were some problems that were discovered by the engineers earlier, which
are very minor, and we drew the attention of the contractor and they
have rectified them.
“We are working towards Dec. 20 which was the date given by the Minister of Aviation.
“The foreign airlines are willing to start using this facility immediately and we are working with them.
“They
have gone through the entire terminal and they have seen that the new
terminal is a lot better than what we have before now in terms of
equipment, installations, space facilitation and comfort.
“The
only issue they raised is connectivity, which is normal, and a team of
engineers are working on this to help them connect with their foreign
offices so that they can easily communicate passenger information and
data,’’ the FAAN managing director said.
Dunoma said government
was determined to expand the airport facilities to enhance maximum
utilisation of the new terminal, saying the apron would be expanded to
accommodate more aircraft.
“We are also going to build new fire station and that will also improve fire rescue operations in the airport.
“But the existing fire station and control tower are sufficient enough to service this new terminal when in operation.
“We
are also planning for something like the additional runway and pavement
to increase the capacity of landing and parking,’’ he said.
NAN
reports that the terminal at Abuja airport is one of the four new ones
being constructed at the cost of $600 million by the CCECC under the
Export-Import Bank of China loan.
The others are in Lagos, Port
Harcourt and Kano and are being financed from the $500 million loan from
China-Exim Bank and $100 million counterpart funding from the Federal
Government.
President Muhammadu Buhari had in October inaugurated
the new terminal in Port Harcourt, while the remaining two are expected
to be ready for use in 2019.
Leave a Reply