Despite budgetary allocations, promises, Abuja airport’s second runway still elusive

There is uncertainty over the second runway of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja as it has remained a dream for the past five years, Daily Trust Saturday reports. Under the administration of former President Muhammad Buhari when Senator Hadi Sirika was the minister of aviation, the project saw budgetary provisions annually, to the tune […]

There is uncertainty over the second runway of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja as it has remained a dream for the past five years, Daily Trust Saturday reports.

Under the administration of former President Muhammad Buhari when Senator Hadi Sirika was the minister of aviation, the project saw budgetary provisions annually, to the tune of N64 billion, but it has been stalled despite its significance.

Although aviation experts are divided over the necessity of the second runway, it is generally believed that it would be a big relief for airline operators, who have had to contend with flight disruptions occasioned by Very Important Persons (VIP) movements in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), being Nigeria’s seat of power.

VIPs like the president, vice president and other prominent personalities usually pass through the airport, causing disruptions. The situation became worse in the buildup to the 2023 elections and after the exercise when the new government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was about to be inaugurated.

In April this year, airlines expressed concern over flight delays associated with VIP movement at the airport.

Daily Trust Saturday reports that during that period, for over an hour, domestic airlines practically grounded operations over VIP movements.

It was gathered that among the airlines affected were those already with fully boarded aircraft preparing to depart.

Confirming the situation, an airline operator said, “All flights have at least an hour delay, both in departure and arrival. Flights already boarded and about to depart were held down with passengers on board for 50 minutes.” He added that the cost of the delays could not be quantified.

The chief operating officer of Ibom Air, Mr George Uriesi, who confirmed the development, simply said, “It is too costly.”

Another operator said, “When flights are delayed, passengers do not have an idea of what we go through as airlines. We know the cost of any delay, so we try as much as possible to avoid it.”

Apart from VIP movements, runway incursions could also trigger unexpected disruption in airline operations at the airport. A case in point was the recent serious incident involving a Max Air plane, which had a burst tyre on landing at the airport. The implication was that the airport was shut for hours until the aircraft was towed away, while the runway was swept before it was reopened.

All of these have justified the need for a second runway at the airport, which would serve as an alternative in case the main runway is experiencing VIP movements, or any VIP takeoff could be routed through the second runway.

 

The airport presently has five terminals, namely: domestic, international, pilgrims, cargo and VIP terminals, all using one runway.

The second runway was conceptualised to address these challenges and create an alternative departure zone for aircraft landing at the airport.

Daily Trust Saturday reports that the second runway, which was initially estimated to gulp N67bn, was last year revised to N92bn.

From 2017 to 2022, a total sum of N65bn was allocated to the project in the annual budget, but it could not be ascertained whether the money was released.

Our correspondent reports that in the 2017 budget, N10bn was voted for the project and in 2018, N8bn was proposed, while N13bn was voted for it in 2019 and N14bn in 2021.

Last year, the Federal Capital Territory allocated land for the construction of the second runway as Sirika disclosed that the contract had been awarded to China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) Nigeria Limited and would be delivered in 12 months.

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) also disclosed that 12,000 hectares of land had been made available for the project.

The proposed runway is expected to come with modern facilities, such as the category one Instrument Landing System (ILS) and other modern navigational aids.

It is also expected to be more rugged but may still measure 3,600 metres (3.6km), according to the design.

What has become of the project?

For the past five years that the Buhari administration pushed for the project, actualising it was a herculean task. Like Buhari, the previous government before him also mooted the idea of the project.

A former aviation minister, Stella Oduah, who served during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, was also quoted to have said that the airport would get a second runway, but it never saw the light of the day.

Would it be another failed project under the present administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu? Although the government is yet to fully take up as the cabinet is yet to be formed, stakeholders say the second runway should be a priority project for the government.

However, investigation by our correspondent revealed that despite the allocation of the land for the project, it has not taken off, owing to opposition from land owners, who were said to have stopped the contractor from going ahead with the work because “they have not been paid compensation.”

A source involved in the project who confirmed this to our correspondent said, “What you have there now is the contractor only building their yard at the project site and nothing has been done because of the issue with the locals. When the CCECC moved to the site, the locals challenged them that they have not been compensated. So the CCECC is only constructing their yard and workshop.

“Although the former minister said it would be ready this year, I don’t think that can happen. It is not realistic at all,” the source said.

Also, the immediate past FCT minister, Bello Muhammed, had said that the project would be delivered before May 29. He said there would be other facilities like hotels, cinemas, shopping malls etc. But this was never realised before the Buhari administration.

When contacted by our correspondent on the present state of the second runway, the head of the Press and Public Affairs Unit in the Ministry of Aviation, Odatayo Oluseyi, told our correspondent to wait till Tuesday for an update.

But if feelers from those that are privy to the project are anything to go by, it appears that airline operators would have to contend with the challenges associated with the single runway for a longer period.

Aviation stakeholders are, however, divided over the importance of the project, given the low traffic volume at the airport.

Reacting to a question on the state of the second runway, a former commandant of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Group Captain John Ojikutu said, “It is not too late or out of place to ask if none of the various budgetary provisions had been released; and if released, what have they been used for?

“We were told in 2010 that N64bn was approved for the same runway of 4km; that was a year to the 2011 elections. We are now being told that N92bn has been approved for the same 4km runway at N23bn/km or N23m per meter. Do we really need two runways in any of our airports?

“I have said repeatedly that none of our airports has the traffic to need a second runway. I said this to the Uzodinma Committee on Aviation, that neither Abuja nor Lagos has the traffic to be considered for a second runway.

“Heathrow Airport has over 40million traffic annually and Johannesburg in Africa has over 20m traffic annually, but the total traffic in the over 25 Nigerian airports is less than 20m, of which Lagos alone is only about 8m and Abuja about 6m: so what is the economic sense in building a second runway for any?

“Our problem is prodigal spending and lack of or neglect of periodic maintenance of airports and infrastructure. And runways are the most critical are part of airports. In short, none of our airports, whatever their traffic now, deserves a second runway.”

Also, an aviation analyst, Babatunde Adeniji, said the second runway was not needed, saying, “I don’t believe this is necessary.”

But an aviation stakeholder and the chairman, Nigeria Aviation (NIGAV) Centre, Fortune Idu said, “A second runway in Abuja is essential. It may not necessarily be justified now by traffic, but it is essential for safety needs and operational requirements. It will support the marketability of the airport to new international airlines.”