The Margaret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar, shut three months ago for runway repairs, has been re-opened for flight operations, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
At a ceremony to mark the re-opening of the airport on Friday, Mr Richard Aisuebeogun, the Managing Director of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), said the 2.4 Km runway had been completely rehabilitated.
``Over a long period of time, pilots had complained of `alligator cracks' and a couple of other things because of the aging runway.
``But right now what we have done is a complete rehabilitation of the runway. We did not extend it but did a compete rehabilitation from the beginning to the end.''
``Over a long period of time, pilots had complained of `alligator cracks' and a couple of other things because of the aging runway.
``But right now what we have done is a complete rehabilitation of the runway. We did not extend it but did a compete rehabilitation from the beginning to the end.''
Aisuebeogun said the runway could be used for the next 15 to 30 years from a regulator’s point of view.
``The markings are excellent and can be seen from five nautical miles from the aerodrome. It guarantees safety and efficiency of operations.
``The Federal Government termed the airport project a re-modeling programme, and under the programme the Ministry of Aviation is carrying out a total re-modeling programme of our airports,’’ he said.
The MD said the terminal building upgrading was part of the remodeling programme, adding that it was imperative to rebuild ``our terminals to bring them to the standards of what we see in other parts of the world’’.
``The markings are excellent and can be seen from five nautical miles from the aerodrome. It guarantees safety and efficiency of operations.
``The Federal Government termed the airport project a re-modeling programme, and under the programme the Ministry of Aviation is carrying out a total re-modeling programme of our airports,’’ he said.
The MD said the terminal building upgrading was part of the remodeling programme, adding that it was imperative to rebuild ``our terminals to bring them to the standards of what we see in other parts of the world’’.
``I can authoritatively tell you that in the next four weeks, we would begin the remodeling of our terminal buildings.
``As we speak, we have started the remodeling of Kaduna Airport and in another couple of days we would begin the remodeling of the terminal building of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport.
``It would run concurrently with the remaining terminal buildings, so, in the next three months we would have completed remodeling the remaining international airport terminal buildings,'' Aisuebogun said.
``As we speak, we have started the remodeling of Kaduna Airport and in another couple of days we would begin the remodeling of the terminal building of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport.
``It would run concurrently with the remaining terminal buildings, so, in the next three months we would have completed remodeling the remaining international airport terminal buildings,'' Aisuebogun said.
He said that a perimeter fence would be provided for the Calabar Airport in 2012, but in the interim, the relevant security agencies would guard it through joint efforts.
Bilyaminu Usman and Maikano Tijo, flight instructors from the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, carried out a test flight on the runway.
Usman, the instructor pilot told NAN that the airport runway was ``perfect and that the markings were fantastic”.
Bilyaminu Usman and Maikano Tijo, flight instructors from the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, carried out a test flight on the runway.
Usman, the instructor pilot told NAN that the airport runway was ``perfect and that the markings were fantastic”.
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