We’re tackling aviation business challenges headlong – FAAN MD

Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Capt. Rabiu Hamisu Yadudu has outlined steps the company is taking to deal with challenges within the aviation business. He spoke with aviation correspondents, SULEIMAN IDRIS introduced excerpts.

The nation’s aviation business little question is at present confronted with a number of challenges. What concrete steps have been taken in direction of the creation of a hub on the airports, particularly Lagos Airport in addition to the deliberate connection of the worldwide and native airports to ease passenger facilitation?

The difficulty of the hubs for Lagos Airport is one thing we have now been engaged on for a really very long time and it’s lengthy overdue. As of now, the federal government is driving it aggressively by means of FAAN. By aggressively, I imply we have now already gone far in processing for the corporate that may do it. We’re working with the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE) and we already have our designs and we’re going by means of choice for the designs. We’re on the energetic procurement stage; we have now gone to the stage of going to the BPE.

We’re working with the Lagos State Authorities and our personal engineers to develop a rail system that can join the outdated worldwide and the Normal Aviation Terminal (GAT) on the Lagos Airport with the brand new worldwide terminal. That is to ease passenger facilitation. You can not have a hub airport whereby there is no such thing as a connectivity that’s both direct or oblique between the 2 terminals, particularly contemplating that passengers have to transit. And naturally, there are many baggage that must be moved from one terminal to the opposite.

We had a really sturdy grasp plan for this airport, however alongside the way in which, through the years, we had challenges that made it virtually very tough for this connection to happen. However, as for now, we’re engaged on it, by means of the institution of a rail system and naturally working with the airways to see what we will do to determine their very own connectivity for his or her passengers’ baggage and different belongings with different terminals. It’s being processed, however we have now not reached BPE but. I imagine we could have it prepared between now and the top of the 12 months.

We’re working in full collaboration with the Lagos State authorities, contemplating their work in connecting most of state with Ikeja bus cease and we’re working to see what we will do to see that we obtain integration in order that between Ikeja bus cease, there will probably be a connecting bridge that can hyperlink with the airport, close to that Nationwide filling station. We’re actively engaged on it and I imagine within the subsequent 4 to 5 months, we will see it on floor.

There may be additionally a safety cause we actually wish to make it an up station. There may be demand and there are many passengers coming. Just lately, you noticed Ethiopian Airways, which has began flying from Lomé to the US. It’s all due to Lagos. What number of passengers are there in Lomé? There’s a big potential that Nigeria and Nigerians are usually not taking. So, they’re working Lomé to the USA as a result of there are many passengers. I believe they function about three or 4 flights out of Lagos and out of Abuja. And they’re feeding Lomé to fly to the USA all due to the inconveniences in facilitation in Lagos. So, this new initiative, if we will join by means of the rail, which has the potential of carrying a bigger variety of passengers, it’s a lot simpler than buses. After which the shuttling of the bags will probably be a lot simpler for all of us.

Haw far has the deliberate relocation of the management and hearth towers on the Abuja Airport gone?

It’s one thing that’s an operational consideration. Proper now, we wished to maneuver it, then, the stress of the second runway in Abuja got here up. It has already been accredited by Mr. President. There’s a plan and design to assemble a second tower on the opposite aspect close to the second runway. So, we think about it good to have two towers for effectivity.

We’re already relocating the present one alongside this aspect and we have now the primary one, which could be the everlasting one on the location of the brand new runway. Now, when we have now each, on the implementation stage, we’ll see whether or not it is going to be doable to possibly have one which would be the grasp tower or the one one. At this stage, the second has not but been constructed however we’re wanting on the two. We are going to preserve this one and that one.

However as soon as it’s coming, the Nigerian Airspace Administration Company (NAMA) will take a look at it and see what we will do, both to combine each or to nullify one and have one standing. The important thing consideration is the connectivity by way of floor motion and the road of sight in order that the tower can see all the bottom actions occurring on the airport. These are the primary elements that decide whether or not it’s doable or not. As a lot as we have now so many issues on paper, and within the design, it’s when they’re constructed that we will truly know, from the viewpoint of direct proof and decide whether or not we preserve one or use the 2.

Keep in mind, in lots of airports, you’ll be able to have even two. It is determined by the scope of actions every one is controlling. We are able to have one doing a lot of the airspace and possibly among the floor management after which the opposite one doing a lot of the management close to its personal neighborhood. In lots of airports, you may get two frequencies.

By way of a fireplace station, we try to do one other hearth station on the aspect of the GAT. It’s just about work in progress and we’re working actively with NAMA and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) as a result of something that has to do with hearth and management tower shouldn’t be an unique FAAN protect. It includes these three companies. Proper now, we’re engaged on the 2. However, alongside the way in which, sensible challenges will come up that can sway us to at least one explicit resolution instead of the opposite one. So, we have now two now. However, what occurs with the 2; how they impart and management the airspace and floor motion will probably be decided as it’s progressing and turning into energetic.

What are the challenges of revamping the underground automotive park on the worldwide wing of the Murtala Muhammad Airport?

We began working to revamp the underground automotive park two years in the past. I imagine it’s finished slowly as a result of there are challenges. And it isn’t completely empty. There may be some tools stored in that place. Even when we revamp it, I don’t assume we’ll begin utilizing it. Earlier than they are going to begin utilizing it, we have now to make it possible for we resolve all the safety challenges first.

Even when we resolve them, we have now to ensure that the federal government will help us as a result of there may be one other characteristic of safety challenges throughout Nigeria. In a scenario like that, any little factor can lead to the entire airport imploding. So, it’s going to solely take someone with the fallacious intention to make the entire airport collapse beneath itself. That’s the reason we have now cleaned all of the pool of water that’s accumulating below. However, utilisation may not be within the close to future. We now have to verify we coordinate the safety and possibly get the buy-in. We do an evaluation to see if we have now the safety cowl. Is it actually wanted and price it, contemplating the dangers? It’s going to take solely 0.01% of lapse for somebody to truly undermine the entire airport. That’s our major problem.

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