Posted by Oluseto Olatuyi on
More passengers were stranded at both the international and local wings of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, on Sunday as the closure of its runway 18 left entered the second day.
More passengers were stranded at both the international and local wings of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, on Sunday as the closure of its runway 18 left entered the second day.
The airport was however reopened around 5.21pm.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria had on Saturday shut the runway for repairs.
Our correspondent observed on Sunday that the airport was earlier deserted in the morning and midday but became a beehive of activities around 3pm when hundreds of travelers started arriving.
Most of the passengers lamented the attitude of the government towards the aviation sector and called for a permanent solution to the problem.
One passenger, who said he was not aware of the closure, wondered how he would be able to make it to Abuja.
'I have to be in Abuja today. Any cancellation would mean I won't go again," he said.
Meanwhile, airline operators who have continued to count their losses, called for the reopening of the runway 18 right. The runway has been under rehabilitation in the past one year.
'This (closure) is shameful and embarrassing. We have lost several millions of naira. People's plans have been disrupted. Why can't they do this (the repair) at night? This country cannot continue to run like this," lamented, Abiodun Odunuga, the Public Relations Manager of Albraka Airlines.
The Spokesperson of Aero Contractors, Mr. Deba Uwadia, noted that with the closure, the airlines might be forced to operate late into the night.
'It is unfortunate. The runway has become problematic, and until the second runway is completed, we will continue to have this problem. The only hope is for them to reopen the runway soon," Uwadia said.
Uwadia's counterpart at Chanchangi Airlines, Alhaji Mohammed Tukur, said because of the disruption, the airline might reduce its 16 flights to about six.
'We have no choice than to operate late into the night. We had to cancel Owerri because of the airport. We will operate till around 10 pm," he stated.
Foreign carriers have, however, continued to reschedule their flights to accommodate the repairs.
According to the Spokesperson of Air France, Mrs. Moyo Areola, their flight schedule has been disrupted by the repairs.
She, however, maintained that normal flights would return as soon as FAAN completed the repairs.
On Saturday, British Airways, Air France, South African Airways, KLM and Air France had to reschedule their flights because of the repairs.
The PUNCH, Monday November 07, 2005