THE Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has declared the Kaduna International Airport, Kaduna, fit and ready for 24 hours local and international operations.
All necessary steps to ensure that the status of the Airport as an Alternate Airport to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, (NAIA), during the closure have been put in place as the navigational aids there have been well calibrated and fully functional to facilitate continuous smooth landings and takeoffs.
According to the NCAA, towards a seamless flight operations in line with Standard and Recommended Practices (SARPs), all relevant departments and directorates with full complement of staff have been redeployed to Kaduna from the aviation agencies.
Already, the Regional Managers of NCAA Abuja and Kaduna offices are on ground to allow for smooth integration of the additional staff coming to Kaduna.
“To sustain the safety and security of airline operations, a team of Aviation Safety Inspectors (ASI) from the Directorate of Airworthiness Standards (DAWS), Directorate of Consumer Protection, (DCP), Directorate of Air Transport Regulations (DATR), Directorate of Aerodrome and AirspaceStandard, (DAAS) and Aviation Security Personnel are already at the airport.
The National Security Committee has designed and got approval for the Security programme to cover the airport and its environs during the six weeks closure.
Meanwhile, some airlines and cab operators have anticipated losses as the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, is set be shut tonight for its runway repairs, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
Abdullahi Saroke, Station Manager, Azman Airlines, told NAN that 65 per cent of flights operated from Abuja airport would likely to be cut off at Kaduna resulting in losses.
Saroke explained that many lucrative routes like Abuja-Lagos,Abuja-Enugu, Abuja-Kano and many others would be affected as many passengers might decide to travel by road to those destination.
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