NCAA to shut down Ibadan Airport for 6 months

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA)has announced that the Ibadan airport will be shut down for six months for maintenance and upgrade works to take place.

Michael Achimugu, Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection made this known on Friday via his X handle.

This announcement is coming barely eight months after the state got the approval of President Bola Tinubu, to improve the airport to an international status.

In his tweet, Achimugu said, “Subject to new information, Ibadan airport may be shut down for six months for maintenance/upgrade, starting from early March.”

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In June, President Bola Tinubu approved the move to upgrade the Ibadan Domestic Airport, Alakia, to an international airport. This development was made known by Seyi Makinde, the Oyo State Governor, in Ibadan.

Makinde explained that upon completion of the airport upgrade, which will include the expansion and extension of the runway and the general upgrade of the facilities, the state will begin to receive international flights from anywhere in the world into Ibadan.

Also in January 2025, the governor stated the construction of the new international terminal as part of efforts to upgrade the facility to international standards.

This development follows the ground-breaking ceremony held on September 18, 2024, for the first phase of the project.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.