Domestic airline operations will soon receive a massive boost as the domestic runway 18 left of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, which was shut down for repairs about three months ago, will soon be reopened.
The reopening of the domestic runway would not only bring great financial relief to the local airlines but engender maximum utility of the aircraft as it would reposition the local airport to operate 24 hours daily.
The runway 18 left, which serves the Nigerian airlines operations, was shut down for night operations for almost 15 years following the failure of the then government officials to include the installation of airfield lighting when the contract for the upgrade of the runway was awarded.
The absence of airfield lighting on the domestic runway made night operations impossible for the domestic airlines while all domestic flights that come after 6pm were forced to taxi through the international airport runway to disembark passengers at the local terminal.
Taxiing from the international airport runway 18 right has not been an easy option for both the airlines and the passengers as this option has been at a huge extra cost to the airlines in view of the additional fuel they often burn on the longer runway as a far departure from the fuel that would have been conserved on the runway 18 left that is shorter.
Besides, the hitherto inconveniences to airlines and passengers whose flights fall into the period after 6pm are subjected to delays and trauma that come with the exercise as they have to remain on board their flights until the aircraft is cleared before finally taxiing to the domestic end of the airport.
This has remained the situation until the present Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Captain Rabiu Yadudu, succeeded in prevailing on the Minister of aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, who not only took up the case with the government, but got approval for the installation of the runway airfield lighting.
Yadudu had in July announced that the runway would be closed for three months to give room for the upgrade and installation of airfield lighting. (Tribune)
