Regulatory agencies in the aviation industry have visited Gateway International Agro-Cargo Airport, Ilisan-Iperu, Ogun State.
They hailed the quality of facilities put in place, as well as their level of completion, certifying them for commercial operations.
The agencies, which comprised Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), adjudged the airport as world-standard and a source of pride for Ogun State.
They said infrastructures at the airport, which included Control Tower, Weather Monitoring Areas, Runway, Fire Service Stations and the Apron, could rival any of their type around the world, adding that they remained one of the best in West Africa.
The Director of Aerodrome and Airspace Standards of NCAA, represented by Ango Mohammed, noted a significant improvement in the state of facilities at the airport since his last visit, ‘’which is now at the level of any other tower in every standard airport around the globe.’’
Mohammed said the quality of work carried out at the airport by the state government should elicit accolades from all, and expressed the delight of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority about the project.
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Representative of the Managing Director of NAMA, Tayo John, said the visit was to inspect the facilities on-site, to ascertain whether they were in compliance with the requirements for the provision of air traffic services and safety.
The Senior Project Manager of Craneburg, the construction company handling the project, Nicolas Mfarrej, said the airport was about 98 per cent ready to take off fully.
A Consultant on Regulatory Matters to the Ogun State Governor, Oluwole Adeyileka, an engineer; said key players in the regulation and monitoring of facilities for full airport operations had come to assess the level of readiness of the state, adding that it was noteworthy that they were impressed by what the state had put in place at the airport.
The Manager of Gateway International Airport, Captain Dapo Olumide, and Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Ade Akinsanya, an engineer; said the ongoing assessment was the last hurdle to be crossed before the airport could go on full commercial operations, noting that the assessment given had shown that the state was set to take the lead in air traffic services.