From Segun Ayinde, Abeokuta
Ogun State government has stated that Gateway International Agro Cargo Airport is the best in Nigeria and the West African corridor, boasting of the longest runway.
The state government shared the details during a meeting with the League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents, LAAC, at the facility, which was jointly hosted by the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr Ade Akinsanya; Commissioner for Transportation, Engr Gbenga Dairo; Airport Manager, Captain Dapo Olumide, and the Special Adviser to the governor on Media and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade.
At the meeting, Akinsanya declared that the airport has the best facilities in Nigeria and the West African corridor, with the runway capable of accommodating wide-bodied aircrafts.
According to him, the airport, which is 95-98 percent complete, has 4km-long and 60m wide runway, which equals 17 lanes of road infrastructure, making it the longest and largest in Nigeria and the West African sub-region.
He added that the size of the airport, especially with its long runway, was consciously planned to accommodate international flights coming in with wide-body aircrafts like a Boeing 777 or A350.
“While the total size of the airport is 5,000 hectares, we started this first phase on 900 hectares, so what you see as an open space is part of a master plan because this is also an aerotropolis. There are going to be hotels, amusement parks and cinemas in the future; that is all part of the master plan. You can’t put everything together in one day.
“Overall, where we are today, I am pretty certain that we are ready to go commercial. Once we get approval from the NCAA for commercial operations, we will commence. Right now, we have the approval for chartered flights.
“The runway has been completed, the fire station is done and you see the two fire tenders outside, with a new addition making it three. Right now, we are class six, and with that additional fire tender, we are moving to class seven,” he said.
Meanwhile, the airport manager disclosed that the airport, when fully operational, would be the first in Nigeria to operate with an operating permit, while the commissioner for transportation stated that the airport is situated within a special agricultural processing zone and is one of the eight zones across Nigeria, describing it as a legacy project of Governor Dapo Abiodun.
According to him, the operating permit would enable the airport attain ENCAS 2023 permit, which is more stringent than the aerodrome certification.
