The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria. (FAAN), yesterday, reopened the 18R/36L Runway at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), 10 months after the facility was closed for maintenance.
Foreign carriers had complained about the delay in fixing the facility forcing them to deploy smaller aircraft into the Lagos Airport , loosing revenue on seats and other challenges.
Links 2 and 3 of the Runway are now opened to international traffic, thereby reducing the burden on domestic 18L/36R runway.
FAAN, which disclosed this in a statement signed by its Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mrs Obiageli Orah said
Kenya Airways landed on the Runway yesterday and was welcomed with a water cannon salute.
The FAAN had in March 2023, announced the international runways 18R and 36L at Murtala Muhammed Airport Lagos will be shut down for maintenance.
FAAN said the runways would be closed for eight weeks for maintenance.
“This is to notify the public that runway 18R/36L of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos has been closed for eight weeks for Maintenance work to be carried out,” , a statement by FAAN had said.
The closure of the runway closure affected the flow of traffic and airline schedules, also increasing airlines’ costs as they burned more fuel and cause passenger delays.
The reopened runway 18R/36L has a length of 3,900 m (12,794 ft) and a width of 60 m (197 ft),
The Managing Director of FAAN, Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, had during a recent inspection tour of the vehicular movement at MMIA hinted that the reopening of Runway 18R, might happen sooner than anticipated.
Mrs. Kuku revealed that efforts were underway to expedite the reopening process through an interim method coordinated by the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).
In preparation for the runway’s reopening, the MD of FAAN highlighted engagements with the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to ensure a smooth and timely resumption of operations.
Mrs. Kuku expressed optimism about the reopening, stating that stakeholders can anticipate it happening relatively soon, with the full support of the minister and permanent secretary.
Source: The Nation
