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Tag: Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria

  • Fed Govt orders airlines to review flight schedules

    Fed Govt orders airlines to review flight schedules

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has urged airlines to review their schedules during the Yuletide to curb flight delays and cancellations.

    The Agency also revealed that it has commenced weekly meetings with relevant stakeholders to ensure a comfortable passenger experience and smooth flight operation between December and January. The Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, disclosed this in Abuja at a retreat organised for the FAAN Governing Board and Stakeholders with the theme: ““Future-proofing FAAN: Leadership, modernisation and Strategic renewal”.

    She also revealed that efforts are ongoing to fix the faulty cooling systems, address power challenges, and maintain a clean environment during the festive period.

    Highlighting preparations for the Yuletide, Kuku said: “Crucially, we must ensure that all our airports are safe, secure, and welcoming spaces for our guests, who are the reason for our existence.

    “We know that a challenge that we continue to have around the peak period is delays from airlines. We are asking the airlines, in conjunction with the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), to review their schedules and at least make information available in a timely manner where delays exist. So we are working closely together to ensure that we can have a smooth operation this holiday period.

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    “We are speaking very closely with all of our stakeholders. We started facilitation meetings every week, as opposed to quarterly, with all the ground handlers as well as the airlines.

    “So, I can assure Nigerians during the peak period that we are making our environment comfortable from a passenger experience perspective. We are ensuring that the cooling systems are working at the airports and working overnight.

    “I think the sanitary environment is something that we have seen complaints about. So, we are pulling in facility managers into most of those major airports as well, not just the cleaners, because we have seen some culpability with those as well.

    “We have had some challenges from a power perspective, especially in Lagos. So, we are working very closely with the DISCO and on the secondary power systems as well to have a comfortable environment,” she said.

    Kuku also hinted that FAAN has increased its aeronautical and non-aeronautical revenue target.

    “Under the leadership of this present administration, where we took over in December 2023, we have increased our revenue significantly, and not just due to the FX fluctuations. If you look at our non-aeronautical revenue, we have increased our non-aeronautical revenue by over 50 per cent.

    “Our aeronautical revenue, which comprises landing, parking, and passenger service charges, has also increased. So we are on track as it relates to our revenue targets, and we are excited about that, and hope that FAAN will continue to be a self-sustaining agency,

    Also speaking, FAAN Board chairman, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, said the board would support the management to make FAAN a modern, efficient, innovative, and financially sustainable institution.

    He, however, noted that the management of FAAN must pay attention to operational excellence, passenger experience, inter-agency coordination, and adopt a unified security architecture that enhances safety across airport operations.

    He added that the upgrade of infrastructure, enhanced security systems, and adoption of digital solutions that align the country’s airports with global best practices must be accelerated.

    Ganduje said: “Investing in staff welfare and capacity development, recognising that our people are the true engine of organisational progress and improving operational efficiency and expanding revenue generation pathways to ensure long-term sustainability must be our focus.”

  • FAAN links musician Wasiu Ayinde to ValueJet safety breach at Abuja airport

    FAAN links musician Wasiu Ayinde to ValueJet safety breach at Abuja airport

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has linked a musician, King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal (also known as K1 De Ultimate) to the incident at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja.

    FAAN in a statement explained the incident involved the musician and a pilot of ValueJet Airlines.

    The passenger, according to FAAN, was prevented from boarding the aircraft with an unidentified liquid substance which was later discovered to be alcohol.

    Stating what transpired, the Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection of FAAN, Mrs Obiageli Orah stated: “Preliminary investigations confirmed that the passenger ( Wasiu Ayinde) was scheduled to board the morning flight to Lagos operated by ValueJet Airlines (Flight VK 201).

    “During boarding the passenger attempted to carry an unidentified liquid substance on board despite repeated warnings from Aviation Security (AVSEC) personnel and the Flight Captain. 

    “In accordance with international aviation security standards specifically, Nigeria’s National Civil Aviation Security Programme (NCASP) and [CAO Annex 17 liquids exceeding 100ml are not permitted through security screening unless medically necessary and properly declared. 

    “The passenger was informed of this regulation but reportedly declined to comply. 

    “As boarding continued, an airline security officer asked the passenger to step aside for further clarification. The passenger allegedly refused and spilled the contents of the flask on the officer, which turned out to be alcohol”.

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    The statement continued “The Flight Captain intervened but faced similar resistance. After confirming that boarding was complete, she instructed the closure of the aircraft door. 

    “At this juncture, the passenger moved to the front of the aircraft and refused to leave the area despite repeated requests. 

    “He was ultimately escorted away by AVSEC crime unit for further investigation, after which he was released”. 

    The Agency while reiterating its commitment to the safety and security of all passengers. crew, and airport personnel, stated taht it will not tolerate any actions that compromise operational integrity or undermine aviation safety standards, regardless of the individuals involved. 

    It further noted that the matter remains under thorough investigation, adding that all parties found culpable will be held accountable according to the law. 

    FAAN also stated that it is dedicated to upholding the highest standards of professionalism, safety, and regulatory compliance across all Nigerian airports.

  • Scanners to the rescue

    Scanners to the rescue

    • A good move by FAAN but only adequate maintenance can make it work

    With powerful scanners and e-gates, Nigerian international airports are on the verge of offering travellers a new, less intrusive, travel experience.

    E-gates will shut out touts that often congest the terminals. Scanners will greatly reduce direct bodily searches, which not a few find not only humiliating, but also a potent tool for corruption. The scan red-flags specific suspects of travel infractions. Only those then would be searched.

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) deserves commendation for this twin-innovation. It should not only humanise travel, it should also near-eliminate how bodily searches are weaponised by unscrupulous border officials to fleece travellers of hard -earned money.

    FAAN, in announcing this twin-innovation, said it just installed powerful Rapiscan screening machines, powered by the latest technology, for its airport surveillance, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), with plans to soon replicate such in other Nigerian international airports. The gadgets are to streamline security processes. That way, they should also shorten time at pre-flight check-ins.

    Like the single window policy to harness import revenue by port agencies, all border agencies as the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the National Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) would have own monitors linked to these powerful scanners.

    The scanners, Orion 928DX, have smart features to identify, pin-point, explosives, narcotics, excess currencies and sundry organic but outlawed materials. Each specific agency would pick up the red flag on their monitors and proceed to intercept the suspect traveller, for further searches.

    But the scanners even have room for upgrade into fresher technologies, with more acute facilities to ferret out illegal cargo and bring the erring traveller to book.

    Still again, the critical success factor, to implement this new innovation, and to ensure future upgrades, is a doughty maintenance regime, which always ensures the gadgets are in top shape. Unfortunately, Nigeria is not exactly top-notch in maintenance culture.

    Many terminals — air or rail: referencing the modern train stations that go with the standard-gauge rail upgrade — appear a cemetery of abandoned gadgets. Not a few of these gadgets are victims of power supply glitches. Others result from bare-faced stealing, by unscrupulous officials that simply pocket budgeted funds to buy spare-parts, but get their trail covered by curative accountants.

    FAAN announced it had trained, retrained and would continue to train its workforce to make its new travel dream a roaring reality. That’s reassuring. Still, it should factor in other structural and systemic factors that befall routine maintenance; and make even the simplest of gadgets a nightmare to maintain here.

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    FAAN should also be encouraged to escalate these travel innovations beyond Lagos, to Abuja, Enugu, Port Harcourt, Kano, etc. It would be a new dawn indeed, were baggage checks to be left exclusively to scanners, as obtains in most travel destinations in Europe and America.

    That, going hand-in-hand with FAAN’s plan to abandon the old manual search tables, would birth the country with a fresh halo of positive travel. That, of course, starts with e-gates that okay or reject e-boarding passes.

    Anyone with an invalid pass is automatically shut out. A well-decongested terminal is more conducive to sane travel. But, as the gospels say, the beginning is nothing without a successful end.

    That’s why FAAN must push through this laudable plan with all the seriousness, and inter-agency coordination, it can manage.

  • No fire at Abuja Airport, says FAAN

    Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) said on Saturday that there was no fire incident at the newly commissioned terminal of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja.

    Its spokesperson, Mrs Henrietta Yakubu said that what people mistook for a fire incident was the residue of powder sprayed by the system seen In the cloud, which was occasioned by the in- built fire detection and protection system at the new terminal.

    Yakubu said the terminal building was designed and built with the protection system, which comes up when it senses high ambient temperature and consequently sprays fire extinguishing agent.

    In a statement issued in Lagos, FAAN clarified:” The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria hereby notifies the general public of a minor incident that occurred at the equipment room of the new international terminal of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja at about 3:00pm today.

    READ ALSO: FAAN threatens to withdraw services

    “The incident was however swiftly curtailed by the in-built fire detection and protection system at the new terminal that triggered automatically.

    “The building was designed and built with this protection system. The system comes up when it senses high ambient temperatures and sprays fire extinguishing agent. The residue of powder sprayed by the system was seen in the cloud, there was no fire at all.

    “The Authority will like to reassure passengers and the general public that there is no cause for panic, as the incident has been put under control and our fire men are clearing the reminant of powder after which operations will resume.

    “Only last week, the departure hall of Sam Mbakwe Cargo International Airport (SMICA), Owerri was gutted by fire.

    The incident temporarily disrupted operations at the terminal.

  • Nigerian airports record 15.2m passengers, 227,834 aircraft movements

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) says a total of 15.2 million passengers passed through Nigerian airports in 227,834 aircraft movements in 2018.

    This was revealed in FAAN’s 2018 Annual Report obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.

    The report posted an increase of 2.5 million passengers from 12.7 million passengers recorded in 2017 representing 19.11 per cent increase.

    It also revealed an increase of 27,068 from the 200,766 aircraft movements recorded in 2017 representing 11.48 per cent increase.

    According to the report, 11.02 million passengers travelled within the country (domestic), while a total of 4.2 passengers traveled into and out of the country (international) through the airports during the period under review.

    The data further showed that 182,924 domestic and 44,910 international flights were operated across the nation’s 22 airports during the period.

    The total cargo movement, according to FAAN, stood at 245.89 million tonnes per kilogramme compared to the 169.50 million tonnes per kilogramme recorded in 2017.

    The statistics also indicated that 174.91 million tonnes per kilogramme arrived in the country through the airports, while 70.89 million tonnes departed during the year.

    A look at the four major airports in the country showed that Murtala Muhammed Airports, Lagos, (Domestic and International Wing) recorded the highest passengers and aircraft movements during the period.

    The data indicated that Lagos airport recorded 6.7 million passengers comprising 2.8 million on domestic routes and 2.9 million on the international routes.

    The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja recorded 4.6 million passengers comprising 3.7 million on domestic routes, while the international routes recorded 941,182 passengers.

    FAAN also disclosed that Port Harcourt International Airport recorded 1.14 million passengers comprising 1.05 million domestic passengers and 92,050 international.

    Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano recorded 567,537 passengers comprising 398,266 domestic and 169,271 international passengers.

  • NAHCO boss urges NCAA, FAAN to clear air side

    THE Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) Aviance Plc has asked the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to clear the air side of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos to avoid security disaster.

    NaHCO Aviance Group Managing Director (GMD) Mrs Olatokunbo Fagbemi said if the overcrowding at the air side was not reduced, it could pose serious safety and security  threat to ground handling firms and others doing business at such critical parts of the airport.

    In an interview with The Nation   in Lagos, Fagbemi said the regulatory and airport authorities should design some standard procedures and other initiatives that would reduce the number of persons, structures and equipment at the air side.

    She said too many people and structures at the place could have negative impact on the safety and security of critical activities.

    Fagbemi said the NCAA and FAAN should set up committees to address this obvious gap so as not to endanger the nation’s premier gateway.

    She said ongoing safety and technical audits by international civil aviation regulatory bodies should factor this into their programme while carrying out assessments.

    Fagbemi urged the regulators to  to create a conducive operating environment for airlines and ground handling firms without compromising safety.

    On the price war and competition among ground handling firms, she said NCAA and FAAN have major roles to play in ensuring that the drive for improved market share does not expose the industry to unsafe practices.

    She said the business of ground handling is becoming more competitive as global airlines are divesting from the business as part of efforts to maximise costs.

    Citing the divestment of Lufthansa German Airlines  from NAHCO Aviance, Fagbemi said it was a corporate decision taken by the carrier since 2016.

    She said it had nothing to do with competition or price war, as the carrier remains one of  its biggest clients in ground, passengers and ramp services.

    The NAHCO Aviance boss said: “Lufthansa’s exit has nothing to do with NAHCO; rather, it has to do with Corporate decision in 2016. Lufthansa is still in some business with us, so it shows it wasn’t an issue with NAHCO.

    “ There is no doubt that some customers have left NAHCO but others have also come into NAHCO, there are areas of competition we need to improve on.

    “ We have to think about the issue of anti-trust. We have to ensure that we do not compete in such away that safety is not considered but the regulator should ensure that safety and security are not compromised.’’

    She said the company will reenergise its system to ensure improved customer service in line with international standards.

    “My top priority is very simple. It is to get everything right because when we get everything right for the customer and we deliver the right kind of service, then we get the right kind of income. Such income that can trickle down to profit and from the profit we will be able to pay the right kind of dividend,” Fagbemi said.

    According to her, going forward, the company will enhance its processes to create an enviable place to work in, a company that  operates in line with international standards, and follows all the regulations and deliver greater stakeholder value.

    “A lot of work has been done in the past, what I will do is build on what is there, work on the areas where there are gaps. My priority will be to close those gaps and ensure that we deliver services in a safe and secured manner,” Fagbemi said.

    She said the company will invest in human capacity and technologies to ensure that the company continuously has the requisite people with the right knowledge and the right processes to deliver world-class services in line with International Civil Aviation Organization  and International Air Transport Association  standards.

    “What we are going to do is put into our people the right kind of knowledge, the right kind of vision and passion that drives everybody to excel. Because even if we put in the best systems, we have the best facilities, we have the best equipment, if we don’t get the people right, it is going to be a waste,” Fagbemi said.

     

     

     

  • GAT recorded 228,239 passengers last December, says FAAN

    The domestic terminal one of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA) Ikeja, also referred to as the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) recorded a total of 228, 239 passengers last December 2018, statistics from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has revealed.

    Statistic made available to journalists in Lagos by the Terminal Manager (TM) MMA, Mr Aderigbigbe Adekunle, 104,168 passengers arrived through the terminal while a total of 124,071passengers were processed out in  the period under review.

    According to Adekunle, the management of the terminal before the Yuletide took several measures aimed at ensuring seamless passenger facilitation by servicing the conveyor belts, cooling systems and screening machines.

    Adekunle said  the upsurge in passenger traffic was envisaged hence it was seamless passenger’s facilitation while some flights were moved to a less busy terminal for easy passenger facilitation.

    He said : “We have two terminals here, the Zulu and Alfa, what we did was to move some flights from the busy terminal to the less busy terminal for passengers comfort. Calabar, Port Harcourt and Uyo flights were moved to the Zulu terminal to ease the Alfa traffic where Airpeace operates from”

    According to Mr. Adekunle, the Agege motor road construction work almost marred the airport free flow of traffic as the construction work had a spilled over to domestic airport users but remarked that it was carefully handled by FAAN officials at they terminal end.

    He further said : “The only challenge was the construction work on the Agege motor road, passengers find it difficult to to move out of the terminal to connect to Agege motor road. The traffic extended to the terminal and passengers expressed bitter experience during the Yuletide period”

    The Terminal Manager also revealed that the automation of the domestic car park by FAAN early last year brought sanity to the area as some people who were not travellers took undue advantage of the non automation of the park to leave their vehicles there.

    He said with the billing system introduced, the number of vehicles at the park had gradually reduced through proper monitoring.

    Mr Adekunle while acknowledging the small size of the domestic car park, explained further that  there was plan by the management of FAAN to construct a new multi storey car park at the domestic Wing noting that when completed will cater for the decongestion of traffic at the terminal.

     

     

     

  • Yuletide: FAAN assures passengers of safety

    Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN)  has assured passengers and other airport users travelling during the Yuletide of adequate security.

    FAAN disclosed this in statement by its General Manager, Corporation Affairs, Mrs Henrietta Yakubu.

    According to Yakubu,the authority has beefed up security at all airports, especially at international terminals in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano.

    This is just as FAAN urged passengers to get to the airports early to conclude all check in procedures.

    The statement reads: “As Yuletide approaches, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria wishes to notify air travelers and other airport users that her network of airports across the country are fully prepared for the usual surge in passenger traffic that is the norm during the season.

    “In preparation for the season and beyond, we have beefed up security at all airports, especially the major international gateways in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano.

    “Also, we are improving on our facilities and infrastructure to ensure maximum comfort for all airport users.

    “Recently, a brand new international terminal was commissioned for use at the Port Harcourt International Airport. A similar facility was also commissioned in Abuja on Thursday December 20, 2018.

    “At our premier airport, the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, the VIP lounge has been renovated to enhance passenger comfort, the carousels are working optimally, amidst other facilities upgrade currently on going.

    “The stories are similar at all other airports, as the Authority has put in place facilities, procedures and  systems to ensure maximum comfort, safety and security of airport users during this season and beyond.

    “FAAN will like to use this opportunity to appeal to passengers to please get to the airports early to conclude all check-in procedures in good time, so as to avoid the experience of missing their flights. This is important because of the heavy passenger traffic that is usually the experience around this time and also due to ongoing construction works around the Lagos and Abuja airports.”

  • FAAN boss assures on workers’ promotion

    The Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Saleh Dunoma, has assured the agency’s workers of resolving all labour matters, including stagnation and promotion in the organisation, in accordance with due process.

    Dunoma made the promise at the weekend in Lagos after the inauguration of the national secretariat of the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP).

    The FAAN boss said the management had noted all the requests made by ANAP, assuring that there was the need to work with unions in the organisation to ensure industrial harmony.

    On the withdrawal of condition of service from the Salaries and Wages Commission as a result of delays in the implementation, Dunoma advised ANAP to prepare a new one for  consideration by the Minister of State for Aviation.

    Earlier, Secretary-General of ANAP, Comrade Abdulrasaq Saidu, commended Dunoma for promoting workers’ welfare.

    Saidu appealed to him to provide them a plot of land to build their national headquarters.

    He explained that the union had observed  its  role in resolving the issues of stagnation and promotion, noting that the Salaries and Wages Commission was not doing well in handling workers’ condition of service of aviation agencies.

    Saidu said: “We advise that the human resources should not take the condition of service to the Salaries and Wages Commission in view of the fact that the Federal Government is not funding the salaries of aviation parastatals.

    “We have written a letter to the minister to retrieve the condition of service from salaries and wages in the past seven years.”

    He said the union would be forced to protest against those in the Commission that were blocking the full implementation of the condition of service.

    Saidu praised the FAAN boss for  providing the union an office.

     

  • Tackling frequent power outage at Lagos Airport

    The frequent power outage at the Murtala Muhamammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, has become an embarrassment to the nation and aviation stakeholders. The development, which causes incessant halts in check-in procedures for passengers and airlines, urgently needs to be addressed by the government. KELVIN OSA OKUNBOR reports.

    Power outage at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos has become a recurring decimal in the last few years.

    The menace has assumed such alarming dimension that some foreign carriers now have  rechargeable lamps beside their check-in counters in anticipation of an outage.

    As the nightmare lingers, concerned agencies seem  resigned to fate, as efforts by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to arrest the ugly situation is yet to yield result.

    Many times the departure hall has been plunged into darkness, leading to outrage by passengers, stakeholders and other users of the terminal, who have been forced to ask what it would cost to have regular supply at the airport.

    Globally, airports are either connected directly to the national grid or they run their own independent power plants to ensure that there is no hitch in the logistics of air travel.

    Experts say uninterrupted power supply to airports remain critical because of inherent safety and security considerations.

    According to them, uninterrupted power supply to airports, besides enhancing operational efficiency of lighting, baggage handling, airline check-in counters, scanners and other security screening equipment, must conform to various international safety standards for strict power supply and lighting provision.

    To save Nigeria from the national embarrassment, interventions by the National Assembly Committees on Aviation, through release of funds to the relevant authorities, has not addressed the ugly development.

    Despite the huge sums, running into millions of naira, being sunk into the airport power project, operators – airlines, concessionaires, banks, bureax de change and passengers continue to lament the negative impact  power outage is having on their  businesses.

    The malaise, which has become a recurring decimal in the last decade, has fuelled speculations that the FAAN may have overstretched its limits.

    Experts say the age of cables at the terminals, which have not been changed or upgraded since 1979 when the airport was opened, is a critical factor responsible for the recurring epileptic power supply.

    History of Lagos Airport power supply

    Besides the supply of electricity to the airport by Ikeja Electric, from its Transmission Line in Ikeja and Ayobo as primary source, FAAN has six units giant Mantrac Caterpillar 24 KVA capacity generators which were installed in October 2016.

    Prior to that, the airport had a 30-year-old 2.25 KVA generator that could not cope with the load demand and increase in passenger traffic.

    The  parlous condition then necessitated the upgrading of the existing generators to a 3.88 KVA, which has the accessories to cope with the increasing load demand and empower the central chillers for the cooling system in the event of failure of the primary source of power supply.

    Investigations revealed that besides the old age of the electrical cables and panels, technical personnel with knowledge of how the terminal was wired have retired.

    Investigations also revealed that rising incidences of power outage at the airport are occasioned by migration to a new cabling system.

    A FAAN official confided that though the authority was worried over the negative trend, it is, however, not irredeemable.

    The official said: “We are presently at the stage of changing the old cables to new and this is being done in stages. Power outages are caused by ongoing construction.”

    Timelines of power outage

    On Wednesday, November 18, 2015, flight operations at the international wing of the Lagos Airport came to halt, following power outage. Power supply at the terminal was disrupted about 6.05 pm, only to be restored after one hour. The terminal was thrown into complete darkness leaving many passengers stranded and unable to complete their check in and boarding procedures.

    On August 29, 2016 , flight operations were disrupted at the international wing of the Lagos Airport for two days-Saturday and Sunday. FAAN attributed the outage for the two days to infractions from PHCN, forcing it to rely on its independent power supply. When power was restored after the two days the K- 16 transformer that served the air bridges was affected and rendered unserviceable . During these days KLM/Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa, South African Airways, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Royal Air Maroc were affected.

    On October 3, 2016, the Lagos International Airport suffered three power outages  in less than one hour. It occurred between 9.15 pm and 9.45 pm.

    On Thursday October 27,  2016 a minor power hitch occurred at the Lagos Airport leaving many parts of the terminal in complete darkness.

    A spark that occurred at the Finger Main Distribution Board at the E – finger of the terminal occurred about 11.30 am.

    On December 19, 2017, there was also power outage at the domestic wing of the Lagos Airport.

    Last week, another outage occurred at about 6.05 pm at the terminal, lasting over one hour.

    The ugly development, which plunged the nation’s airport in total darkness left airline personnel, passengers and other airport users frustrated as they could not proceed with boarding processes.

    The outage, investigations revealed, was caused by disruptions from the Ayobo and Ikeja Transmission Lines, which supply power to the airport .

     Complaints by travel agents

    Worried by the increasing rate of power outage at the Lagos International Airport, the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies ( NANTA) recently called on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare an emergency in the aviation sector .

    In statement, its president, Bernard Bankole said: ”We recall that on Monday 12, September 2016 it was the second time in one week that power outage occurred at the Lagos Airport in one week. We urge government to immediately put an end to this recurring national embarrassment. Apart from the issue of incessant power failure  experienced at airports.”

    Regulatory indictment

    Industry experts say not only FAAN, should take flak from the failure to ensure regular power supply at Lagos Airport.

    Chief Executive Officer, Centurion Securities, Group Captain John Ojikutu ( retd ) said the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has questions to answer for certifying the Lagos Airport without regular power supply.

    Ojikutu said Lagos Airport, which is a category one terminal ought to have independent power, especially at times of emergencies.

    The former military commandant of the Lagos Airport said: ”FAAN is expected to have independent power line from Ikeja and Ayobo transmission line as planned for the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in 2007. What happened to that proposal ?

    “This is a shame on all of us, including the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. Again, how did NCAA certify the Lagos Airport if the power problem that could affect the airport safety facilities has not been resolved? We have a long way to go with the NCAA safety oversight functions.”

    FAAN’s position

    However, FAAN spokesperson, Mrs Henrietta Yakubu said though the authority is aware of the incessant power outage, but attributed it to on going construction around the airport.

    In a terse short message service (SMS) Mrs Yakubu said: “The minster of state aviation said during the forum in Abuja that construction works around the airport is what is disrupting and interfering with power supply . Will get details more details.”

    Further enquiries by electronic mail to give update on the cause of incessant power outage at the Lagos International Airport.

    Apology from FAAN

    On August 31, 2017, FAAN, through Mrs Yakubu offered a formal apology to Nigerians over power failure, which interrupted business at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

    She said: ”FAAN wishes to apologise to passengers, airlines and the public for the inconveniences caused by power interruption at Lagos Airport. The authority is assuring airport users of safety and security at all times.”

    Generators to the rescue

    In frantic search for the lingering power outage challenge at the Lagos Airport, FAAN on October 11, 2016, entered into an agreement with foremost equipment supplier:  Mantrac Caterpillar to procure giant generators.

    Mantrac Caterpillar‘s Vice President for Asia Pacific, Africa and Middle East Distribution Division, Raymond Chan visited FAAN power house at the Lagos Airport to tour its facilities.

    FAAN’s Managing Director,  Saleh Dunoma said plan to procure six generators from Mantrac Caterpillar as part of management’s response to finding lasting solutions to series of power outages at the airport as back up.

    Dunoma said: ”Though there has been steady power supply from the primary source, in the case of failure, we have the back up systems in place that is stable, reliable and very efficient.

    “One of the reasons for frequent power outage at Lagos Airport could either be system failure on the entire network and on going construction work at the airport, which could lead to our cables being cut and in response to this, we use our generators as back up.”

    Way forward

    Experts say the government must revisit the power master plan for the airport because the drive to position Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, as a regional hub is hinged partly on  ininterrupted power supply.

    They have suggested independent power plants, such as the proposal initiated by an indigenous oil company in 2013 for Lagos and Abuja airports at the cost of $100million.

    Investigations revealed that each airport was to pay $50 million for the project to last 20 years.

    The project, powered by gas with 30 KVA each for the airports, was supposed to provide secondary power.