By Chinelo Obogo, [email protected]
The Gateway International Agro-Cargo Airport located along the Ilisan-Iperu axis of Ogun State, is 95% complete and gearing up to compete and perhaps dward Lagos as a key aviation hub.
The state’s Commissioner for Works, Ade Akinsanya, who revealed this during a recent interface with aviation journalists, highlighted the airport’s potential transform the state into a major player in Nigeria’s aviation industry.
Conceived in 2019, the airport is being touted as very strategic infrastructure designed to develop and promote development in and around the state.
Akinsanya says the plan is not to rival the airport in Lagos but to supersede it in passenger traffic and cargo operations.
“We have already secured approval to conduct chartered/non-scheduled operations and the airport is 95 percent completed but we are awaiting the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) approval for scheduled operations. We have only gotten approval for charter flights, the basic equipment are in place, the runway is four kilometers, the longest in Nigeria and the feedback we are getting is that the runway is the best in the country.
“The control tower is functional, the fire and administrative stations are in place, and the main terminal building will be completed by January 2025. There are about three phases we have to cover before the final approval. We have done the first and second phases, the next visit by the NCAA will be to certify for commercial flights. The NCAA, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency and the Nigeria Meteorological Agency have been very cooperative”, he said.
Aerodrome certification and operating permit
The consultant on airport management, Capt. Dapo Olumide, explained to Daily Sun that his direct access to Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has facilitated overcoming bureaucratic hurdles, ensuring the provision of funds for the best equipment in record time.
He then detailed the difference between an aerodrome certificate and an operating license, expressing satisfaction with the work done so far.
Olumide stated that obtaining an operating permit in line with the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (NCAR) 2023, rather than an aerodrome certification, requires extensive and stringent preparation, including clearing five meters on both sides of the perimeter fencing. Aerodrome certification focuses primarily on safety and infrastructure, while an operating permit covers a broader range of operational, administrative, and regulatory aspects. The latter often demands compliance with a wider array of standards, including and comprehensive than those required for the former and its regulations are more stringent and rigourous. The primary goal of an aerodrome certification is safety, while an operating permit aims to ensure the overall readiness and compliance of the airport for full commercial operations.
He revealed that the airport is working towards obtaining an operating permit which would make it the only airport in Nigeria that has it and that such a permit requires extensive and stringent preparation, including clearing five meters on both sides of the perimeter fencing, unlike other airports. The operating permit involves five phases, with infrastructure requirements already met and the next step is an operational audit by the NCAA.
“There are people who have said that the airport is taking too long and that an airport can be built in six months but what they don’t understand is that since the days of the FCAA, we have what we call ‘aerodrome certification’ but with NCARS 2023, it has now changed to an ‘operating permit’. There is a difference between an operating permit and an aerodrome certification. To get an operating permit, you must have five meters by the side of the perimeter fencing cleared on both sides, unlike what have in Lagos where you see houses leaning against the wall. Just like an AOC the operating permit has five phases. Phase one and two is the infrastructure and we have passed those hurdles. Phase three is when the NCAA comes to carry out their operational audit.
“Even with the old aerodrome certification, how many airports complied? We are the first airport in Nigeria to try and attain the status of a full operating permit which is far more stringent and it is for that reason alone that this project is taking longer than it would have had we been setting up for an aerodrome certificate. If it was that easy, we would not be the first ones to go in that direction. There are new airports in town and there are those that were built in the last two years but none of them have operating permits. This is a solar powered airport with Doppler very high frequency omnidirectional range (VOR) and arterial navigation and this is the best airport for non-perishable produce,” he said.
Proximity to Lagos
Olumide addressed the misconception that the airport’s proximity to Lagos would limit passenger traffic, dismissing such concerns as unfounded. He emphasised that the Gateway International Airport, featuring Nigeria’s longest runway and capable of accommodating wide-body aircraft like the Boeing 777 and Airbus A350, offers a strategic advantage.
According to him, passengers can reach Lagos by road in just an hour and a half, making the airport an efficient alternative. Olumide further noted that planes diverted from Lagos due to bad weather often land in Ghana or Lome, resulting in significant revenue losses for Nigeria. The Gateway Airport, he explained, is poised to change this narrative by providing a closer alternative, ensuring landing fees and associated revenue remain within the country.
“Critics tell me that the airport is so close to Lagos and would not be having much passenger traffic but let me explain some things. We have the longest runway in Nigeria which suits the international flights coming in wide body aircraft like the 777 or the A350, you offload your passengers and guess how long it would take them to get to Lagos by road? Within an hour and half, you are in Lagos. When you say this place is too close to Lagos, there is a reason for it because it gives accessibility to people who would not otherwise have and because of the facilities being a solar powered airport, runway lightings, the best VOR which is more accurate than the regular ones used in other airports, we have satellite based navigation. All other airports that claim to be cargo airports, have they started cargo operations? This is the best location for growing non-perishables in West Africa.
“When an aircraft comes into Lagos and they have to divert because of inclement weather, we all go to Ghana and Lome and carry our dollars there and they are so happy to receive us because they are going to charge us landing fees but we have Ilorin and Ibadan, Benin, why don’t they go there? This is the primary location for alternate landing. If you’re coming into Lagos and there is bad weather there, you can come and land here and that is why it is going to be a 24-hour airport especially because of the cargo flights that operate mainly at night. So, between midnight and 5am every day, this place would be very busy with cargo flights like DHL, Fedex, UPS etc, coming in and going out and the fees would be cheaper because this is a state and not a federal airport. It is not run by FAAN though the Authority has supervisory roles,” he said.
Concession
To successfully concession any infrastructure, Olumide said it is important to first set up the facilities as tangible proof is necessary to convince potential concessionaires that your project is viable. In the case of the Gateway airport, he said three companies have shown interest in the concession but that it is important to clarify that concession involves leasing specific parts of an airport, such as terminal buildings, while critical infrastructure like runways remains under the control of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). He said this vital detail is often misunderstood.
For the Gateway airport, Olumide said one of its selling points lies in its master plan as an aerotropolis, which offers more than just passenger flight operations. He said with this arrangement, a concessionaire would have the opportunity to develop additional infrastructure, like housing estates, hotels, and offices, based on the master plan which makes the airport more attractive for potential investors.
He believes that despite its proximity to Lagos, the Gateway airport would become a hub passenger and for cargo operations. Pointing out the high cost of living in Lagos, he said there would be need for affordable housing and business spaces, which the airport’s surrounding area can provides and which makes the project attractive for investors looking to develop an aerotropolis.
“With any infrastructure that you want to concession, you must always produce the facilities first because, for instance, no one would believe it if you say you want to build a station that would take you to the moon if they don’t see the infrastructure. It is the same thing here. We have three companies that have expressed interest to concession but you know, concession has to be clarified because a lot of people don’t even understand what it means. When you hear that Lagos airport is being concessioned, it is the terminal building and not the airport. The runway would always remain in the custody of FAAN.
“That is the same thing here. We are concessioning the infrastructure at the airport and because this is slightly different from Lagos in the sense that it is primarily an aerotroplois, it makes it more attractive for a concessionaire because they would have the opportunity to build whatever they want to on top of what they have seen here because they would have the master plan. For Lagos and Abuja, the interest of the concessionaire is because of the revenue it is generating because they are the primary airports earning well in Nigeria. But in a place like this, it is going to be a primary earner for cargo and the aerotropolis. Lagos is very expensive to live in, so housing estate, hotels, offices etc, can be built around,” he said.