Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, closure cripples economic activities in South-East
By Chinedu Eze, 03.04.2010
Friday, March 5, 2010

Aviation

Economic activities in the South East, especially in Enugu, Anambra, Ebonyi and some parts of Abia have been adversely affected by the closure of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport , Enugu , which is the fourth busiest airport in the country and the one that has proximity advantage over most parts of the region.

Add To Favorites
Print This Article
Post Comment

advertisement
Businessmen and women, including political office holders and corporate organisations that use the airport have been finding it difficult coordinating businesses from other parts of the country, following the closure. The closure, it was gathered has impinged on the movement of the people to and from the zone, as air transport remains the fastest means of transport. The situation is even exacerbated by the fact that most roads criss-crossing the country are in deplorable conditions.

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) started rehabilitation work on the runway of the airport late last year and on February 10, the agency closed it, saying it would remain shut until work is completed. The work will last for about 12 months.

The objective of FAAN is to expand the runway so that it would be able to accommodate large body aircraft. The project involves the extension of the length of the runway from the present 2, 400 meters long to 3000 meters (or three kilometers). The width, which is presently 45 meters would be extended to 60 meters.

Recently, officials of Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA) had lamented how the closure of the airport is crippling businesses in the South East. They complained that FAAN did not provide alternative airport close to the one closed, because traveling by road to Owerri airport, which is closest to Enugu, will take a prospective air passenger two hours from Awka, capital of Anambra; two and half hours from Abakaliki, capital of Ebonyi and also two hours from Enugu, capital of Enugu State.

While it takes prospective air passenger one hour from Onitsha to Owerri, it will take a passengers from Nsukka more than three hours to Owerri airport to board flight to any other part of the country. Enugu airport is located at the centre of the aforementioned three states as it would take such passengers less than one hour to travel from Awka, Abakaliki and Nsukka to the Enugu Airport.

The President of ECCIMA, Okechukwu Nwadinobi, told THISDAY on Tuesday: “We have noted that this (the closure of the airport) will further cripple the economy of the South East, as the Akanu Ibiam Airport remains a major gateway to the East. With the bad state of the roads in the zone, and absence of rail transport system, our businessmen and women have no alternative as the nearest alternative airport is more than two hours away to catch a 45 minutes flight.”

Professor Okechukwu Nwosu, the Deputy President of the organisation, who spoke on behalf of the President when the officials of ECCIMA paid a courtesy call on THISDAY, urged the Federal Government and the Governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime to ensure that the runway extension was “carried out in a way that will not disrupt regular flight operations and stifle business” in the region.

FAAN management, which expressed sympathy with the people of the region, said that even as the airport was closed, helicopters could still land there, but did not express any hope that the closure would not last 12 months as earlier planned.