THE Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Mukhtar Usman, on Monday said the regulatory agency is fully in support of the Federal Government’s decision to close Abuja Airport for repair works on the runway as that is the only option.
Usman said the airport runway has been subjected to spot repairs several times in the past and now the only option is to close the runway and do a complete overhaul. And there is no way planes can land and take off in a runway under construction
The NCAA DG, Capt. Mukhtar Usman made his position known yesterday at the annex office of the regulatory agency at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos to review the activities of the agency in 2016 and projections for 2017.
He said that before the announcement to close the airport was made, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), made applications to NCAA, but the Ministry of Aviation only announced the closure. He explained that the Kaduna Airport was chosen as an alternate airport because of its proximity to Abuja and the Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) equipment at the airport.
