Three weeks to the scheduled International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) audit of major Nigerian airport, it has emerged that some of the facility to be used for the exercise may not meet the expected standards.
The outcome of the inspection would determine whether the airports would be certified or not.
THISDAY checks revealed that some of the facilities at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja were yet to be upgraded to meet ICAO specifications despite that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has been working assiduously to ensure that work on the airside of the airports was completed before the inspection.
It was gathered that there were open items, which FAAN was expected to close through a corrective action plan and ICAO has set up four committees made up of personnel from the aviation agencies like the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and FAAN to ensure that perceived shortcomings at the airports were corrected before the audit.
Recently, the regional representative of the ICAO, Albert Taylor explained why Nigerian airports have not been certified and stating that none of the airports met ICAO safety standard. He however commended Nigerian government for the efforts it has made so far to close the open items or meet the requirements in order for the airport to be certified.
As international airports like that of Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano have not been certified, there are categories of aircraft that would not be allowed to operate from such airports and some international airlines may not approve their aircraft to operate to such airports.
Non-certification of airports means that such airports may have safety breaches or the facilities have not met given standards.
Taylor explained that some airlines that operate into the country had complained about the shortcoming of the airport runways of the country’s major airports and said that efforts were already being made to rectify these problems or close the open items.
THISDAY however learnt that the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) at the Abuja airport had been taken over by the Nigeria Air Force because they met the facility in very poor state and rehabilitated it.
EOC is where emergencies are responded to and it also serves as briefing centre and offices. It is an important facility that is expected to be there by the audit team.
A FAAN source said: “In Abuja airport, the Nigeria Air Force annexed it. They met it in dilapidated state and repaired it and coveted it. But there is no way you can do certification audit without it. So they have to relinquish it and give it back to FAAN for the audit.”
THISDAY also learnt that while advanced work had been achieved in Lagos airport, the Abuja airport is yet to have its open items closed.
“All facilities like the apron, runway, taxiways, airfield lighting, vegetation, perimeter fencing, the derubberisation and the greasing of the apron are yet to attain the expected standard; the same with handling facilities, fire cover and apron flood light need to be need to be functioning effectively,” the source said.
But the General Manager, Public Affairs, Yakubu Dati promised that all the deficiencies that have been noticed would be corrected before the audit, noting that FAAN was not hurrying and panicking to provide the aforementioned facilities because it was to do superior work and ensure that any work done is done and would effectively serve airlines after the ICAO audit.
CULLED FROM THISDAY
