Urgent Runway Rehabilitation Needed to Prevent Accidents

Aviation industry stakeholders have called for the urgent rehabilitation of airport runways in Nigeria to address frequent runway excursion incidents during the rainy season. They warned that failure to act could lead to tragic accidents.

In the past five years, significant incidents have occurred at airports in Ibadan, Port Harcourt, Lagos, Abuja, and a recent incident involving an Enugu Air flight at Benin airport. Olubunmi Kuku, Managing Director and CEO of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), confirmed that over 17 airport runways have surpassed their 20 to 25-year design lifespan and require urgent rehabilitation.

Many runways, built 30 to 35 years ago, need complete reconstruction rather than temporary fixes, with an estimated N580 billion required for comprehensive upgrades. Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, announced N46 billion allocated for the reconstruction of runways at Mallam Aminu International Airport in Kano.

Experts emphasize that poor drainage and outdated systems contribute to runway issues, necessitating immediate attention.