Ganduje lauds Tinubu's strides in airport infrastructure

 Ganduje lauds Tinubu's strides in airport infrastructure 

Chairman , Board of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Umaru Abdullahi Ganduje has praised the efforts of the President Ahmed Bola Tinubu in upgrading operational infrastructure at airports across the country.

He said the massive upgrade of infrastructure at Kano, Abuja and Lagos airports bears testimony to the resolve of the Tinubu administration to ensure facilities at the terminals are comparable to standards across the globe.

Ganjude disclosed this yesterday after conducting an assessment inspection of facilities at the Lagos International Airport.

The former Kano governor said the current administration has embarked on a massive upgrade of facilities at airports in the last two years to bring the standard of services into the global template , saying the Tinubu administration has also created an enabling environment for private airlines to thrive.

Ganduje said private airlines are not only benefitting from the atmosphere created by the government to thrive, but encouraging aviation authorities to provide more space for them to park their aircraft, but also providing other support services.

He said under the watch of Tinubu , FAAN has achieved the certification of some airport terminals, pointing to the need to urgently fix some challenges bordering on safety and security.

Ganduje listed part of the challenges to include : abandonment of some projects, the burden of overgrown grass around the airport and the need to give the airport ambience good landscaping.

He said : "This may require FAAN to replace old tractors to fix the grass problem around the airport. Good landscaping around the facilities as the point of first contact into the country will create a good impression . 

"There is also a need to provide lighting facilities at the airports for both local and international airlines to boost our drive for safety, which is the number priority. We are also concerned about the used space at the airport turned into a graveyard for aircraft, which is affecting the areas that would have been used for operational activities.

"In particular, the need for coordination among aviation agencies and stakeholders and the attitude of those expected to provide efficient services is of great concern. We insist that FAAN has zero tolerance for corruption , which will give a negative reputation to the country. We must all strive to push for high standards at airports ."

Affirming that the FAAN Board and its team will pay assessment visits to airports in Port Harcourt, Abuja, Enugu and Maiduguri, Ganduje said the Federal Government has already approved and mobilised contractors working a second runway for Abuja and Kano Airport.

Ganduje said : "We are disturbed over issues of abandoned projects littering the airport. But, we will have to establish the reasons for such abandonment, whether it is funding, so we could prioritize , or is it litigation ? "

He said the tinubu administration will continue to scale up efforts to improve the aviation industry to drive the agenda of enhanced air connectivity , cheaper air fares and other burning issues affecting air travel .