Uduaghan approves rehabilitation of Asaba Airport runway in line with Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority instruction

The Delta State Gov­ernment yesterday approved the rehabili­tation of the Asaba Airport Runway.

The decision is coming on the heels of the downgrade of the airport by the Nige­rian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) following the direc­tive for the rehabilitation of the existing runway, taxiways and the construction of perim­eter fence as well as training of technical personnel.
A statement issued by the state’s Commissioner for Information, Chika Ogeah, disclosed that the Delta State Government, which has al­ready set in motion the ma­chinery for affecting the upgrades demanded by the regulatory agency, has ac­cepted the issues raised by the NCAA, and gone ahead to ef­fect repairs.
He hinted that by the di­rective, only Dash 8 – Q 400 planes or their equivalent will continue to operate through the airport until the issues raised are resolved while all Boeing 737s and jets of similar category will be barred in the meantime.
According to him, Gover­nor of Delta State, Dr. Em­manuel Uduaghan, has ap­proved the rehabilitation of the Runway and Taxiways in the airport.
He noted that the governor has approved the engagement of a seasoned consultant to supervise the rehabilitation exercise and being a public sector project, extant rules on procurement and due process will be strictly adhered to.
The statement reads: “The Government is vigorously processing the mobilization of the contractor and the consul­tant for the job to commence in earnest.
“Already, work on the perimeter fencing has com­menced. However, there is additional acquisition of over 400 hectares of adjoining land, which has increased the scope of work. To boost secu­rity within the airport axis, the government has employed 20 security guards to carry out routine surveillance of the air­side.”
On the training of requisite technical personnel, Ogeah af­firmed that all the staff recently employed by the State Gov­ernment have undergone the four-week mandatory basic training at the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Training School, Lagos in 2013, while arrangement has reached advanced stage for sending them on specialized training relevant to their vari­ous departments.
The statement further said, “It should be noted that Air­ports are permanent construc­tion sites the world over and regulatory agencies which in Nigeria is the NCAA have the mandate to oversight all the airports and may from time to time raise any concerns thereof.
“The downgrade in the sta­tus of Asaba Airport has not in any way affected the opera­tion of scheduled commercial flights in and out of the airport. Arik Air, Aero Contractors and Overland Air which op­erate scheduled daily flights has since deployed the right aircraft specification and are providing seamless services to passengers.
“We hereby assure the general public that the Delta State Government is commit­ted to effecting the upgrade of the facilities directed by the NCAA promptly and the status of Asaba Airport will soon be restored to accom­modate bigger jets such as the Boeing 737. It should also be noted that government being a continuum, the coming of a new administration on May 29 would in no way affect the schedule and timeliness of the facility upgrade. Wherever the upgrade exercise is by May 29, the coming government of Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa will see the project through.”