@invest-now2013: The International Cargo/Passenger Airport project has already taken off from the ground. Because the site has been acquired, compensation paid to the host communities and it has been secured with a perimeter fence. It is a PPP/BOT project between Orient Petroleum and Anambra state govt.






THERE’S TALK ABOUT AN AIRPORT PROJECT THERE. CAN YOU ELUCIDATE ON THAT?

Yes, there will be an airport. I spoke about Orient Petroleum Resources PLC being a holding company. The holding company has four subsidiaries. One subsidiary is the refining of petro-chemical component which is going to operate the refinery; the second is the one that is about producing oil and gas; that is called the exploration and production subsidiary. Then we have a subsidiary which is gas and power which is supplying gas to Nkalagu cement, to breweries at 9th Mile, and possibly to this SABmiller Brewery in Onitsha. The final one is the infrastructure and services which will look after the airport and other infrastructure like housing and so on which will support the operations of the other three subsidiaries.

So the vision was that Orient will be a vertically integrated company. It derives its own raw materials, sells its products; provides its services. The airport was supposed to provide an outlet for aviation kerosene which is one of the products of the refinery. So planes will land there and load with aviation kerosene. That’s the aviation fuel (ATK). So there will be a pipeline that takes aviation kero there; the aircraft will load and we can be selling aviation kero to Kano International Airport, to Lagos, even to Ghana and other places right from that point. So the airport itself is to provide an outlet for aviation kero and also it will provide a quick source of spares. Let’s say you need something in the refinery, you fly it in. So we do have licence from the federal government to set up an international cargo airport to fly in materials there. This airport is located in about 1,200 hectares of land in Ifite Umuleri. It’s already surveyed and work will start very soon now that we have income from the oil production.

SO HOW SOON DO YOU RECKON THE AIRPORT WILL BE READY?

The airport will be constructed in phases just like the refinery. The first phase will be the runway and the cargo shed. Those ones could be done in 18 months and then the next phase will be the second runway so that it will be like Abuja which is getting the second runway. Lagos already has two runways. So we’re looking far ahead. These runways are of international standard; the ICAO standard (International Civil Aviation Authority).

They’re long enough to take a Boeing 747 cargo. The biggest jumbo jet can land in the airport; that’s why it’s so long; 1,300 hectares and the runway is about 4 kilometres. It’s longer than Enugu and Asaba airports. It’s again futuristic to make sure that in 20 years to come it will still be serving us.

SO IT WILL BE STRICTLY A CARGO AIRPORT AND NOT FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES?

Not quite. The licence is for international cargo and domestic passengers. So you can have passengers who are inside Nigeria. It’s not international passenger; it can’t take off from there and fly to London; no, but I can bring in materials from outside the country and fly materials out of the country; that’s cargo, but the airport itself can operate as a domestic airport. It will have a runway and a terminal building. The one in Enugu is international passenger airport but this one is international cargo.

http://elombah.com/index.php/articles-mainmenu/12391-orient-petroleum-has-come-to-stay

@ Chi-no-is-Back.When is Actual Construction Starting?

@ Chino-is-Back. This Interview was done sometime in 2012.Please can you up-Date This Forum When The Work is Starting & How Serious They are to deliver on This very Important Project?

WildChild00: Let the people choose you will governor them, without any sentiment

Yes!

We must all encourage The Politicians & Mr Peter Obi The Importance of having Airport in Onitsha.

invest-now2013:
@ Chino-is-Back. This Interview was done sometime in 2012.Please can you up-Date This Forum When The Work is Starting & How Serious They are to deliver on This very Important Project?

Still Waiting!

cashkid is back: onitsha dont nid an airport,there is already a functionin international airport in enugu and a cargo airport in owerri.wat its nids nw a well functionin seaport

There is also an airport in Asaba, just about 30 minutes drive.

Ola Johnson:
There is also an airport in Asaba, just about 30 minutes drive.

Yes!

Ola Johnson:
There is also an airport in Asaba, just about 30 minutes drive.

Onitsha as a City of Business do not need to depend on another City's Airport To survive!

invest-now2013:
Onitsha as a City of Business do not need to depend on another City's Airport To survive!

Your logic is poor. If I'm to go by this same logic, Nnewi, another business city in Anambra State, should have its own airport. It needs its own airport to survive.
If Asaba were part of Anambra State, would you have said another airport should be built in Onitsha? The distance between the Asaba Airport and Onitsha is about 30 minutes drive.

Ola Johnson:
There is also an airport in Asaba, just about 30 minutes drive.

You would have asked Anambra to go and use Delta government house. Delta built there own airport, so presently Anambra has got an approval to do its own International Cargo/Passenger airport, and not amount of sentiment is gonna stop that.

The approval from the FG has been secured, the site has been secure and fenced, EIA has been completed the actual construction will take off any moment.

Ola Johnson:
Your logic is poor. If I'm to go by this same logic, Nnewi, another business city in Anambra State, should have its own airport. It needs its own airport to survive.
If Asaba were part of Anambra State, would you have said another airport should be built in Onitsha? The distance between the Asaba Airport and Onitsha is about 30 minutes drive.

But Asaba is not part of Anambra!

If any state is building airport hoping to take advantage of passengers from other neighboring state, then they have misfired. If Delta built the airport hoping tap in Anambra advantage, then they have misfired.

Lemme look for Obiano manifesto where he structured the airport project to be delivered immediately he comes on board.

The actual construction of the Anambra International Cargo/Passenger airport will take off soon!







THERE’S TALK ABOUT AN AIRPORT PROJECT THERE. CAN YOU ELUCIDATE ON THAT?

Yes, there will be an airport. I spoke about Orient Petroleum Resources PLC being a holding company. The holding company has four subsidiaries. One subsidiary is the refining of petro-chemical component which is going to operate the refinery; the second is the one that is about producing oil and gas; that is called the exploration and production subsidiary. Then we have a subsidiary which is gas and power which is supplying gas to Nkalagu cement, to breweries at 9th Mile, and possibly to this SABmiller Brewery in Onitsha. The final one is the infrastructure and services which will look after the airport and other infrastructure like housing and so on which will support the operations of the other three subsidiaries.

So the vision was that Orient will be a vertically integrated company. It derives its own raw materials, sells its products; provides its services. The airport was supposed to provide an outlet for aviation kerosene which is one of the products of the refinery. So planes will land there and load with aviation kerosene. That’s the aviation fuel (ATK). So there will be a pipeline that takes aviation kero there; the aircraft will load and we can be selling aviation kero to Kano International Airport, to Lagos, even to Ghana and other places right from that point. So the airport itself is to provide an outlet for aviation kero and also it will provide a quick source of spares. Let’s say you need something in the refinery, you fly it in. So we do have licence from the federal government to set up an international cargo airport to fly in materials there. This airport is located in about 1,200 hectares of land in Ifite Umuleri. It’s already surveyed and work will start very soon now that we have income from the oil production.

SO HOW SOON DO YOU RECKON THE AIRPORT WILL BE READY?

The airport will be constructed in phases just like the refinery. The first phase will be the runway and the cargo shed. Those ones could be done in 18 months and then the next phase will be the second runway so that it will be like Abuja which is getting the second runway. Lagos already has two runways. So we’re looking far ahead. These runways are of international standard; the ICAO standard (International Civil Aviation Authority).

They’re long enough to take a Boeing 747 cargo. The biggest jumbo jet can land in the airport; that’s why it’s so long; 1,300 hectares and the runway is about 4 kilometres. It’s longer than Enugu and Asaba airports. It’s again futuristic to make sure that in 20 years to come it will still be serving us.

SO IT WILL BE STRICTLY A CARGO AIRPORT AND NOT FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES?

Not quite. The licence is for international cargo and domestic passengers. So you can have passengers who are inside Nigeria. It’s not international passenger; it can’t take off from there and fly to London; no, but I can bring in materials from outside the country and fly materials out of the country; that’s cargo, but the airport itself can operate as a domestic airport. It will have a runway and a terminal building. The one in Enugu is international passenger airport but this one is international cargo.

http://elombah.com/index.php/articles-mainmenu/12391-orient-petroleum-has-come-to-stay

Bliss4Lyfe: Proper seaport in onitsha is preferred for now. Let Asaba expand their International Airport with terminal two.

my dear, pls tell them.. Onitsha needs no damn airport.. we need a seaport period!!! asaba is less than 30 minutes drive from Onitsha.. enugu is less than an hour drive, owerri is less than an 90 minutes drive.. I don't see a need for the airport.

seaport will give main market importers little or no reason to import thru Lagos or onne.. and investors can now take advantage of the seaport together with a ready market in Onitsha and invest heavily

obayaya:

my dear, pls tell them.. Onitsha needs no damn airport.. we need a seaport period!!! asaba is less than 30 minutes drive from Onitsha.. enugu is less than an hour drive, owerri is less than an 90 minutes drive.. Uniport don't see a need for the airport.

seaport will give main market importers little or no reason to import thru Lagos or onne.. and investors can now take advantage of the seaport together with a ready market in Onitsha and invest heavily

This is your own opinion. They have actually got all the necessary requirements just waiting for the ground breaking any moment. The site has been acquired around Otuocha-Nteje-Aguleri axis. Its about 20mins to Onitsha, 45mins to Awka and about an hour to Nnewi. It will equally serve the emerging Oil & Gas sector of Anambra economy.

bestviewer:


You would have asked Anambra to go and use Delta government house. Delta built there own airport, so presently Anambra has got an approval to do its own International Cargo/Passenger airport, and not amount of sentiment is gonna stop that.

The approval from the FG has been secured, the site has been secure and fenced, EIA has been completed the actual construction will take off any moment.

So the purpose of building an airport is to show the 'statehood' of a state?

bestviewer:


This is your own opinion. They have actually got all the necessary requirements just waiting for the ground breaking any moment. The site has been acquired around Otuocha-Nteje-Aguleri axis. Its about 20mins to Onitsha, 45mins to Awka and about an hour to Nnewi. It will equally serve the emerging Oil & Gas sector of Anambra economy.

and maybe you should also make it compulsory for the business men to use that airport.. cos many of them still prefer enugu to asaba despite their varying distances. I still believe seaport should be our priority.

cargo planes can never bring in a lot of tonnage compared to ships.. my point being.. a seaport will attract investors faster than 5 airports

Ola Johnson:
So the purpose of building an airport is to show the 'statehood' of a state?

No not at all. There are only few state in Nigeria that really needs an airport not just for luxury.

These are the states: Lagos, Rivers, Anambra, Ogun and Kano.

These states are the most economically viable states in Nigeria. And am sure that was why FG approved International cargo airport for Anambra.

This is how Delta State wasted public funds to build Asaba Airport, when there is Usubi Airstrip near Warri, which can be expanded.

Ola Johnson: This is how Delta State wasted public funds to build Asaba Airport, when there is Usubi Airstrip near Warri, which can be expanded.

Yes you got it. That Asaba airport was never viable even before they started it. They just went into the project just for fun sake. Now they wasted billions, there is no patronage now because there is nothing happening in Asaba, I wonder how many people that have anything to do in Asaba for anything whatsoever. The last I passed the place it was more like a ghost zone.

bestviewer:


Yes you got it. That Asaba airport was never viable even before they started it. They just went into the project just for fun sake. Now they wasted billions, there is no patronage now because there is nothing happening in Asaba, I wonder how many people that have anything to do in Asaba for anything whatsoever. The last I passed the place it was more like a ghost zone.

I passed too. It was as if there was nothing going on there.

cashkid is back: onitsha dont nid an airport,there is already a functionin international airport in enugu and a cargo airport in owerri.wat its nids nw a well functionin seaport

i dont think that there is any state that doesn't need an airport....it is dependent on how the Governor would able to maximize the gains to the benefit of the indigenes and non alike......airport is not really all about luxury....am sure people would also say that some states don't need a 24hrs power supply.....

see ur mouth like horse toto

Onitsha Airport is as Important as Abuja or Lagos Airport! The Problem is That Nigerian Economic Managers don't Love Nigeria & NIGERIANS!

In a perfect world (where Nigeria is a 1st world country in which almost all 170 million residents can afford certain luxuries) EACH Nigerian state would have AT LEAST 1 airport.

nnenna.1:
In a perfect world (where Nigeria is a 1st world country in which almost all 170 million residents can afford certain luxuries) EACH Nigerian state would have AT LEAST 1 airport.

You are Correct! I believe every State should have at least ONE AIRPORT.

See una mouths. Where una want build airport for the already over congested Onitsha
Only on Nairaland.

Dkobo:
ifeanyi ubah or ngige

Nither!

nnenna.1:
In a perfect world (where Nigeria is a 1st world country in which almost all 170 million residents can afford certain luxuries) EACH Nigerian state would have AT LEAST 1 airport.

Just 1 ooo I am ok with starting with Cargo and working our way up!

invest-now2013:
Onitsha Airport Will Create at least 5000 Jobs directly and About 50,000 to 100,000 jobs indirectly. No Sensible Govt will like to miss out on That! Again, Diversification of the Economy of The State is What a Functional Airport will Bring!

Are these real jobs or fictional jobs?

If at all, a cargo airport will suffice for now, building a passenger airport will be capital intensive and will not breakeven anytime soon. IMO, I'd recommend a seaport/rail line connecting Onitsha/Nnewi/Awka together. Anambra doesn't need an airport now, perhaps later but not now.