…Aviation unions threaten to shut down airports
Airline operators in the country and other stakeholders are already getting set for full operations following the declaration made yesterday by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), that the Kaduna International Airport, Kaduna is fit and ready for 24 hours local and international operations.
The federal government will close the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja (NAIA), effectively 1:00am Thursday 9th March, 2017, to allow for extensive repairs on the runway.
At the commencement of flights, it is expected that the Ethiopian Airlines (ET) will be the first scheduled airline to arrive the Kaduna International Airport upon the closure of Abuja Airport.
According to NCAA, all necessary steps to ensure that the status of the Airport as an Alternate Airport to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja (NAIA), during the closure have been put in place.
“The navigational aids have been well calibrated and fully functional to facilitate continuous smooth landings and takeoffs. Therefore, towards a seamless flight operations in line with Standard and Recommended Practices (SARPs), all relevant departments and directorates with full complement of staff have been redeployed to Kaduna from the aviation agencies.
‘‘The regional managers of NCAA Abuja and Kaduna offices are on ground to allow for smooth integration of the additional staff coming to Kaduna. To sustain the safety and security of airline operations, a team of Aviation Safety Inspectors (ASI) from the Directorate of Airworthiness Standards (DAWS), Directorate of Consumer Protection, (DCP), Directorate of Air Transport Regulations (DATR), Directorate of Aerodrome and Airspace Standard, (DAAS) and Aviation Security Personnel are already at the airport. The National Security Committee has designed and got approval for the security programme to cover the airport and its environs during the six weeks closure.
‘‘All the relevant aviation agencies, the Regulatory Authority, (NCAA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigerian Customs and Excise, (NCS), Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Nigerian Police Force and other security services etc are all at the airport to provide unhindered facilitation of passenger traffic and flights,’’ the statement read in part.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, (NCAA), therefore, assures all passengers that all hands are on deck to conduct a safe and secure air transport operations at all airports in Nigeria.
However, members of the Air Transport Senior Staff Services Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) of the NCAA branch backed by national executives of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) and the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) yesterday vowed to shut the airport for one week over what they described as imposition of untested and unqualified personnel as Directors in the highly technical regulatory agency unless government rescinded those appointments.
Their decision followed a congress meeting held at the Nigeria NCAA headquarters in Lagos on Tuesday morning. The three aviation labour unions, after the congress, stated that they had to come together to combat the injustice meted on the system and by extension members.over appointments
