Under-utilized airports do not need second runway, say experts
Under-utilized airports do not need second runway, say experts
By Kelvin Osa Okunbor
Experts in the aviation have said that none of the country’s airports is qualified for a second runway as majority of the airports are currently underutilised.
They advise that monies be channelled into some airport infrastructure including constructing of runways are not needed, especially at a time when the country’s debt profile is rising.
The experts : former Chairman, Governing Board, Nigerian Aviation Safety Initiative (NASI), Captain Dung Pam ; Chief Executive Office, Centurion Securities, Group Captain John Ojikutu (rtd) and Chief Executive Officer, Meavis Nigeria Limited spoke in separate interviews.
The position of the experts comes at a time the joint committee of the National Assembly on Aviation and Enugu State government are canvassing the construction of the second runway for Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja and Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.
Pam on his part said the airports do not deserve a second runway because they are yet to achieve the predicted passenger traffic envisaged.
He said : “We technically do not need second runway at this point in time for two reasons. The runways currently being built are grossly underutilised and most of our airports are not able to experience the predicted traffic that was designed for these airports.
“Before we waste more money constructing airports that will be moribund or runways that will be underutilised, can we investigate and find out if the current authorities in charge of airports maintenance as well as oversight have done their jobs well?
"When Abuja airport was closed, my recommendation was that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, (FAAN) should be investigated with regards to the remaining 22 airports that they are in
charge of,” Dung Pam, former Chairman, Governing Board of the Nigerian Aviation Safety Initiative (NASI) told The Nation.
Pam insists that a public audit be carried out to find out if indeed the mandatory maintenance regime for all of those airports were carried out as required.
He said there is yearly budget for runway maintenance and proceeds from landing and parking charges should be used in carrying out comprehensive maintenance.
He said in the last ten year, government has spent one billion naira in airport remodelling yet the standards of Nigeria’s airports do not reflect the amount of money spent in its remodelling.
Citing an example of Heathrow airport with two runways, he noted that the airport is situated in a country of about 65million people but processes 78million passengers yearly but Nigeria with a population of 180million people processes 15million passengers annually with Lagos alone accounting for 69percent of the traffic.
“Currently, the utilisation of Heathrow airport is in the region of 9 per cent and every 45 seconds , an aircraft takes off and land within the period of 6am until 11.30pm in Heathrow. The airport has a total of 1300 aircraft movement daily. The airport is organised enough to have that kind of utilisation of runway services.
“Aircraft movement for Heathrow is almost five times higher than that of Lagos alone and almost eight times higher than Abuja airport. How will anybody say we need a second runway for these amount of traffic compared to Heathrow airport?”
Investigations show that the amount of flights landing and taking off at Nigeria 26 airports daily is 597 flights , which does not equate Heathrow airports which generates 1.3 million flights annually.
Heathrow has four other airports aside Heathrow airport which include Gatwick Airport, London City Airport, London Stansted Airport airport, and London Southend Airport.
In 2016, Heathrow airport alone accounted for 78million passengers.
Ojikutu, member of aviation industry think tank group, Aviation Round Table (ART) told The Nation that none of Nigeria’s airports is qualified for a second runway including Lagos.
He said : “Our runways are underutilised; the total air traffic landings on the 26 airports in the country are less than that of Heathrow with two runways or Gatwick with one runway. The problem of poor maintenance culture that characterised our public infrastructure is at the height of our want for reckless spending.
“As I talk to you, none of the airports runways has periodic maintenance programs as recommended by the documents supporting the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Annex 14 for aerodrome's standards and that include the Lagos airport that has just been hurriedly given certification by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, (NCAA) in anticipation of its concession,” Ojikutu said.
Also, Tunbe Fagbemi, chief executive officer, Maevis Nigeria Limited said Abuja airport with a runway accommodating less than 200 landing and take-offs per day should not need a second runway.
Fagbemi said what government should invest on is infrastructure not runways.
Earlier in the month, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi governor of Enugu state called on the Federal government to commence construction of a second runway at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport.
Ugwuanyi said the expansion has become necessary following the expected volume of activities that will henceforth take place at the only international airport in the South East.
This month, the joint committee of the National Assembly on Aviation canvassed the construction of the second runway for Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja.
By Kelvin Osa Okunbor
Experts in the aviation have said that none of the country’s airports is qualified for a second runway as majority of the airports are currently underutilised.
They advise that monies be channelled into some airport infrastructure including constructing of runways are not needed, especially at a time when the country’s debt profile is rising.
The experts : former Chairman, Governing Board, Nigerian Aviation Safety Initiative (NASI), Captain Dung Pam ; Chief Executive Office, Centurion Securities, Group Captain John Ojikutu (rtd) and Chief Executive Officer, Meavis Nigeria Limited spoke in separate interviews.
The position of the experts comes at a time the joint committee of the National Assembly on Aviation and Enugu State government are canvassing the construction of the second runway for Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja and Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.
Pam on his part said the airports do not deserve a second runway because they are yet to achieve the predicted passenger traffic envisaged.
He said : “We technically do not need second runway at this point in time for two reasons. The runways currently being built are grossly underutilised and most of our airports are not able to experience the predicted traffic that was designed for these airports.
“Before we waste more money constructing airports that will be moribund or runways that will be underutilised, can we investigate and find out if the current authorities in charge of airports maintenance as well as oversight have done their jobs well?
"When Abuja airport was closed, my recommendation was that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, (FAAN) should be investigated with regards to the remaining 22 airports that they are in
charge of,” Dung Pam, former Chairman, Governing Board of the Nigerian Aviation Safety Initiative (NASI) told The Nation.
Pam insists that a public audit be carried out to find out if indeed the mandatory maintenance regime for all of those airports were carried out as required.
He said there is yearly budget for runway maintenance and proceeds from landing and parking charges should be used in carrying out comprehensive maintenance.
He said in the last ten year, government has spent one billion naira in airport remodelling yet the standards of Nigeria’s airports do not reflect the amount of money spent in its remodelling.
Citing an example of Heathrow airport with two runways, he noted that the airport is situated in a country of about 65million people but processes 78million passengers yearly but Nigeria with a population of 180million people processes 15million passengers annually with Lagos alone accounting for 69percent of the traffic.
“Currently, the utilisation of Heathrow airport is in the region of 9 per cent and every 45 seconds , an aircraft takes off and land within the period of 6am until 11.30pm in Heathrow. The airport has a total of 1300 aircraft movement daily. The airport is organised enough to have that kind of utilisation of runway services.
“Aircraft movement for Heathrow is almost five times higher than that of Lagos alone and almost eight times higher than Abuja airport. How will anybody say we need a second runway for these amount of traffic compared to Heathrow airport?”
Investigations show that the amount of flights landing and taking off at Nigeria 26 airports daily is 597 flights , which does not equate Heathrow airports which generates 1.3 million flights annually.
Heathrow has four other airports aside Heathrow airport which include Gatwick Airport, London City Airport, London Stansted Airport airport, and London Southend Airport.
In 2016, Heathrow airport alone accounted for 78million passengers.
Ojikutu, member of aviation industry think tank group, Aviation Round Table (ART) told The Nation that none of Nigeria’s airports is qualified for a second runway including Lagos.
He said : “Our runways are underutilised; the total air traffic landings on the 26 airports in the country are less than that of Heathrow with two runways or Gatwick with one runway. The problem of poor maintenance culture that characterised our public infrastructure is at the height of our want for reckless spending.
“As I talk to you, none of the airports runways has periodic maintenance programs as recommended by the documents supporting the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Annex 14 for aerodrome's standards and that include the Lagos airport that has just been hurriedly given certification by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, (NCAA) in anticipation of its concession,” Ojikutu said.
Also, Tunbe Fagbemi, chief executive officer, Maevis Nigeria Limited said Abuja airport with a runway accommodating less than 200 landing and take-offs per day should not need a second runway.
Fagbemi said what government should invest on is infrastructure not runways.
Earlier in the month, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi governor of Enugu state called on the Federal government to commence construction of a second runway at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport.
Ugwuanyi said the expansion has become necessary following the expected volume of activities that will henceforth take place at the only international airport in the South East.
This month, the joint committee of the National Assembly on Aviation canvassed the construction of the second runway for Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja.
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