THE Federal Government has disclosed that the new terminal building for the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, has reached an advanced stage of completion.
Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, made this known on Sunday when he visited the airport to inspect the ongoing construction work of the multi-million naira terminal being handled by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and other projects at the airport.
China’s Exim Bank is funding the construction of the aiport terminals in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja and Kano at $500 million.
The Minister said even though the contractor could not tell when exactly the projected would be completed, he was satisfied with the quality of work being done.
He said the Federal Government was committed to transforming the aviation sector and that early completion of the project would be a boost to the government’s effort to provide safety, security and comfort for the air travellers.
Sirika, also inspected the runway of the airport, which he said was in perfect condition.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government on Sunday commissioned the Low Level Windshear Alert System (LLWAS) installed by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Airport.
Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Sirika, who inaugurated the project, said weather phenomena generally affect air navigation and that windshear is one of the most hazardous weather events to aircraft.
He was accompanied by the Katsina State governor, RT Honourable Aminu Bello Masari, among other dignitaries at the event.
He noted that recent reports by NiMet and Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) have indicated that some of the unfortunate air crashes in Nigeria have been linked in one way or the other to the Windshear, explaining that windshear occurs when the speed or direction of wind changes abruptly.
Sirika, added that Windshear is prevalent in Nigeria and that the installation of the alert system at airports in Nigeria was a right step in the right direction towards achieving safety and sustainable in the Nigerian airspace.
He disclosed that as at November 2016, NiMet had installed the Low Level Windshear Alert System at 12 airports across the country with the Katsina Airport LLWAS making the thirteenth one.
The Minister said aviation safety and security were top priority of the current administration.