The Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Richard Aisuebeogun, has assured domestic operators and the travelling public in general that the airfield lighting project of the domestic runway (18L) of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos will be ready for use in 10 months time to enable airlines use it for night flights.

Speaking on Thursday at a programme organized by Flight Dispatchers Association of Nigeria (FLIDAN), Aisuebeogun pointed out that FAAN is working assiduously with the contractor handling the project, ADSB, adding that agreement on it is being signed after which the contractor is mobilized to move into site. “Once he signs the agreement in the next few days, he should be mobilized to start in another few weeks. He has given us a condition period for 10 months, I also want to mention that it is an active runway, a runway that is in use right now, so the pace of work is not going to be as fast as if it were not in use.

However, the contractor had met with the airport authority and we have planned out the time period where he should be able to work effectively. As part of the plans we have put in place, the runway will be minimally used during the weekend, you may have just morning flights and by a particular time of the day, the runway will be shut down and used later in the day for returning flights and during the week days the contractors will work all through the night as soon as the sun sets and the runway is shut down for operations. Using that method, we do hope that we can complete the runway in the next 10months. As I speak to you the contractors is mobilizing to site,” he explained.

He, however, blamed the past administration of FAAN for insulating the airfield lighting from the entire runway project, stressing that it delayed it a great deal. On why aircraft parked at the old domestic runway have not been removed, he said: “Sadly, it’s typical of the Nigeria’s business environment. I have met with all the operators and they have given me their limitations and reasons why. “Many of them said their aircraft are out for maintenance and within the technical appraisal, it will be wrong for us to say that they are not correct, because they are really not condemned aircraft.

“If you look there, you will find a Dornier 328 jet used by Shell, it shows that the operators have plans to ferry it out. Associated 727 are also there they are planning to ferry it out too. Otherwise we have planned to move them from the active airport to the graveyard just adjacent the active airport, which was created for them. “They have convinced us to a reasonable level that these aircraft are going out for maintenance, we have given them enough time to put the airplane in a flyable condition with the view to flying them out. When this time expires, if they don’t, it would attract sanction. Frankly speaking, we have to respect the maintenance plans they have in place.” He also pointed out that airconditioning system at the international wing of the airport has since improved for comfort of the users.