Although Nigerian airlines and international carriers agreed that for safety reasons the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja ought to be closed so that rehabilitation work could be done on the runway, but few days towards March 8, 2017 when the airport would be closed, airlines have not completed plans to move their Abuja operations to Kaduna, the alternative airport.
The federal government has impressed it on both domestic and foreign airlines that they should continue their operation to Abuja by using the alternative airport and has dismissed the fears of foreign airlines about insecurity on the Abuja-Kaduna highway.
A charter operator and former Managing Director of Nigeria Airways Limited, Captain Mohammed Joji, whose operation is based in Kaduna, expressed disappointment with foreign airlines when many of them gave incessant kidnapping on the Abuja-Kaduna highway as the reasons why they would not move to Kaduna.
Joji told THISDAY recently in Kaduna that all the facilities necessary for seamless flight operation has been provided in Kaduna and dismissed the kidnap fears, saying that kidnapping happens everywhere in Nigeria.
THISDAY spoke to some domestic carriers who said they would want to go to Kaduna so that the repair work on the Abuja airport runway could be done, but some said they would reduce their frequency to the Kaduna airport.
“We know that there will be cut down on the volume of passengers so we do not know yet the level of reduction, so from our four daily flights from Lagos to Abuja, we will start with two flights daily to Kaduna from Lagos in the morning and in the evening, then if there is any encouragement, we add another frequency,” an airline official told THISDAY.
But while domestic carriers have positive disposition towards the temporary move, which would last only six weeks, majority of international airlines have cancelled their flights to Abuja until the re-opening of the airport, so they would not operate to Kaduna airport.
Reports indicate that British Airways, Lufthansa, Air France and South African Airways declined the government’s suggestion to divert their flights to Kaduna, while Ethiopian Airlines says it would fly there.
According to the airlines, Kaduna’s attractiveness dimmed on Feb. 23 when two German archaeologists were kidnapped and released days later in a village near the Federal Capital Territory.
Spokesman of the international airlines, Kingsley Nwokoma, told THISDAY that there are certain reasons why the foreign carriers would not operate to Kaduna airport.
“The major reason is security. The road between Abuja and Kaduna has many issues, security wise. There has been so much kidnapping on that road. The second reason is that the local carriers are not in any form of partnership with these international airlines so that they can code-share. Ethiopia Airlines might go to Kaduna, but the major carriers like British Airways, Lufthansa, KLM, Air France, South Africa Airways, Etihad, Qatar, Emirates, Turkish airlines will not go to Kaduna,” Nowkoma said.
THISDAY learnt that some of these airlines wanted to increase their frequency or transfer their Abuja flights to Lagos but government reportedly refused.
But Nwokoma insisted that government cannot force the airlines to operate to Kaduna, if the airlines in all considerations say they would not be able to operate to Kaduna.
“If anything happens on the road between Abuja and Kaduna who takes responsibility. Until they finish the runway in Abuja, these foreign airlines will stop the Abuja flights,” he said.
But the Accountable Manager of Med-View Airline, Lukeman Animaseun told THISDAY in Lagos that the airline would operate its full fights to Abuja, to Kaduna, the alternative airport.
He acknowledged that some airlines were resisting the move to go to Kaduna, but government “needs to be encouraged to repair that Abuja airport runway. Now they are resisting, if they are made to go there they may even in the long run like it. People resist change, but this one is necessary,” Animaseun said.
CULLED FROM THISDAY
