By Uzoma Akobundu
The Enugu and Murtala Mohammed International Airports are be shut any time from now for repairs, the government has assured.
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, revealed on Friday that the Federal Government has concluded plans to pull down the Murtala Muhammed International Airport to construct another one while that of Enugu will have its runway totally repaired.
Sirika said that the MMIA project would be handled by Julius Berger at the cost of N14 billion.
According to him, the terminal currently in use which was built in 1979 has outlived its usefulness.
He said it was built to handle 300,000 at inception but the passengers it handles have grown to eight million in the past three years.
On the Enugu International Airport, the minister said that it would be shut for total repair of the runways which were caving in.
Consequently, he said the Ethiopian Airlines which operates into the airport would be stopped because of the danger the airport poses to flight operations.
For security purposes, Sirika said that he had discussed with the Enugu State governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, of the need to relocate the market located very close to the airport and the free trade zone to make for expansion of the runway and other facilities to international standard.