The Ebonyi state government says the rehabilitation of Chuba Okadigbo International Airport has been completed, and flight operations are expected to begin in August this year.
The Ebonyi state commissioner for Aviation and Transport Technology, Ngozi Obichukwu, disclosed this to journalists at the airport, stating that the state government had concluded plans to buy four aircraft to complement the airport’s take-off.
The airport rehabilitation reportedly consumed about N42 billion and was part of the projects of the last governor, Dave Umahi.
The airport was deemed completed, but flight operations stalled due to the poor quality of the runway, which was constructed with concrete instead of asphalt.
According to reports, the new state government had invested over N20 billion into the airport to make it operational. The rehabilitation work on the runway has now been completed, and flight operations are expected to commence soon.
Reports say the commissioner stated that investors had already shown interest in giving the state an extra three aircraft and that the airport would boost the state’s economic status.
She said:
However, experts have expressed reservations about the number of International airports in Nigeria, stating that many of them are comatose and hardly attract traffic.
They say operating an international airport in a state like Ebonyi, which has little economic and commercial activity, could be counterproductive.
They disclosed that the southeast has enough international airports, most of which could be more viable.
Adewale Ogunleye, an aviation expert, said that an airport in the state was unnecessary given that the state’s economy is mostly agricultural.
Meanwhile, air passengers have lamented the activities of rogues at Nigeria’s airports, which they say are responsible for the hike in airfares.
The development is despite passengers paying as high as N250,000 for a one-hour flight from Lagos to Abuja.
TimesNow.com.ng reported that the construction work for Gusau International Airport, Zamfara state, officially commenced on Thursday, June 20, 2044.
Dauda Lawal, the governor of Zamfara state, said the new airport was designed to accommodate domestic and international flights.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony held at the airport site on Kaura Namoda Road, Gusau, the governor said the airport will be smart and equipped with modern facilities.
Proofread by Kola Muhammed, journalist and copyeditor at TimesNow.com.ng
Source: TimesNow.com.ng
