…As Allied Air makes emergency landing in Abuja
By Charles Ebi
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has begun inspecting the site allocated for constructing an aircraft assembly plant at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
This was disclosed in a statement released yesterday by the Special Adviser on Digital Media to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Gbenga Saka.
The development is coming barely a year after the minister visited Hungarian aircraft maker, Magnus Aircraft Group in January 2024 with a plan to set up a manufacturing and assemblage of modern multi-purpose aircraft in the country.
The Aide said Keyamo, led a comprehensive inspection of key facilities at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
According to him, the Minister was accompanied by the Managing Director/CEO of FAAN, Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, and senior officials from the Ministry of Aviation.
He said, “The inspection reinforced the minister’s unwavering commitment to enhancing seamless passenger facilitation across Nigeria’s airports.
“During the visit, the minister assessed critical infrastructure, including the allocated site for the forthcoming aircraft assembly plant, newly procured CNG buses, improved passenger screening areas, and the recently completed multilevel car park.
“Besides evaluating facilities, the Minister engaged directly with passengers and airport users to gather firsthand feedback on their experiences”.
The Aide said the strategic initiative, coordinated with the leadership of FAAN, underscores Keyamo’s vision to modernise and optimise aviation operations in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, Air passengers at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja were left stranded over the closure of the airport runway following an incident involving a cargo plane operated by Allied Air.
On Wednesday morning, the Allied Air aircraft overshot the runway which led to its closure.
The incident has disrupted flight operations from Abuja to Lagos, Calabar, Enugu, Port Harcourt, Kano and Ibadan.
The Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria ,FAAN, has not issued an official statement on the matter as of the time of the report.
Moshood, a stranded passenger at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport tweeted on X that, “I was expecting @FAAN_Official to at least provide an update on the Abuja Airport issue”.
Ayo Obe, another traveller affected by the incident, lamented that there were no sit for passengers due to the passenger traffic caused by the incident.
“No announcement from @FAAN_official about the cause of the delay, so I don’t know how long I’m going to have to keep standing here (there are no seats).
“@FAAN_Official has announced that they are sweeping the runway and that it should be clear by 2: p.m.
“Meanwhile, some airlines have called checked-in passengers to… come and get some refreshments. I stood aside to avoid being trampled in the rush for same, but there were still no seats”.
