By Chinelo Obogo
Following the decision of the Federal Government to shut down the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu, Enugu State for emergency repairs, domestic airlines have diverted their flights to Chinua Achebe Airport, Anambra State and the Asaba International Airport, Asaba, Delta State.
United Nigeria Airline said in a statement that it had suspended flight operations to Enugu effective from yesterday, adding that it had rescheduled its Enugu-bound flights to Chinua Achebe Airport, Anambra, from where it would also operate out-bound flights.
“We regret to inform you that due to the sudden and immediate closure of the runway/aerodrome at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu – resulting from the poor state of the runway and related safety concerns – all United Nigeria Airlines flights to and from Enugu, effective Saturday, 19th April, have been suspended. However, we understand the significant disruption this force majeure situation may cause to your Easter travel plans,” the airline said.
It advised passengers who found flight services to-and-from Chinua Achebe Airport to be convenient should avail themselves of the services of the airline.
In the same vein, Air Peace said that flight operations to and from Enugu airport for the duration of repairs of the runway be carried on from Asaba Airport.
Google map shows that the road distance from Asaba Airport to Enugu is approximately 160-170 kilometers and the journey typically takes around three to four hours by car, depending on the traffic situation and the specific route taken, and how many stops the passenger takes along the way.
The most common route would take a passenger across the Niger Bridge from Asaba into Onitsha, and then continue eastward to Enugu via the Onitsha-Enugu expressway.
For passengers that would be diverted to Anambra airport, the distance by road to Enugu is approximately 100-110 kilometers. The journey typically takes around two hours by car and it also depends on the traffic situation.
The most direct route would take the passenger from the airport, which is located in Umueri, Anambra State, eastward toward Enugu, through the Onitsha-Enugu expressway for part of the journey. This is shorter than the Asaba-to-Enugu route because the Anambra airport is already east of the Niger River and closer to Enugu.
The Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), had in the early hours of yesterday, said that the Enugu airport would be temporarily shut down for emergency runway repairs.
The Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Obiageli Orah, in a statement said the decision necessary due to a sudden and significant rupture in the asphalt surface at a critical section of the runway. FAAN said that while the repairs are ongoing, all flights would be redirected to nearby airports.
She further stated that the repair would run from April 22nd to May 6th, 2025.
The Enugu airport runway was fully rebuilt twice within a space of 10 years. The first was in 2009 during the tenure of Stella Odua as part of the $500 million loan secured from China and the second was in 2019 during Hadi Sirika’s tenure, when the contract was awarded to PW Construction Company for N4.13 billion. It was thereafter reopened in 2020 for operations.
However, despite the billions sunk into the airport runway in a space of 10 years, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, while commenting on the development yesterday on his X handle said: “It will be recalled that this same development led to the closure of the runway in August 2019 for one whole year and the contract for the total rehabilitation was awarded to a contractor. Unfortunately, when we came to office, we discovered that waterlogged part of the runway was not properly constructed to take care of the problem, leading to constant cracks and potholes on the runway. These obviously put the lives of the travelling public at great risk. We have been carrying out constant palliative works on it, but the problem has not abated and the cracks on the runway are becoming craters. I personally visited the airport some months after assuming office and expressed my total displeasure with the work done by the contractor,” Keyamo said.