One year after closure, Enugu airport reopens for flight operations

One year after the federal government shut down the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu for runway repair and upgrade of facilities, the airport was on Sunday re-opened for flight operations.

On August 24, 2019, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria , (FAAN) closed the airport for major repairs on the airfield.

This move the authority stated was aimed at resolving the safety and security concerns to flight operations.

However experts have said the reopening of the airport which was coming few days before resumption of international flight was a step in the right direction.

The first airline, Air Peace arrived at the airport at 1.40pm carrying several House of Assembly and senate members. Some of these dignitaries include Adeyemi Smart, senator representing Kogi West; Chris Ngige, minister for Labour and Employment;
Geoffrey Jideofor Kwusike Onyeama, Nigeria’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Ike Ekweremadu, former deputy senate president.

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For one year, airlines have had to divert flights from Enugu to Port Harcourt, Owerri and Asaba airports, following the closure of the airport.

Fifty-four days after the closure Enugu state, President Muhammad Buhari approved N10bn for repairs of the airport.

Enugu airport is the sixth busiest airport in Nigeria after Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano and Owerri. In 2018 the Enugu airport processed an average of 273,000 local passengers and 41,000 international passengers.

“We are so happy that the federal government has completed the repair works and upgrade at the airport. Now, the airport is open for flights to take off and land, we will see economic activities returning to the airport.

“For one year, we have been at home waiting for the airport to reopen. We are so happy the airport is operating again,” a staff at the airport who craved anonymity told BusinessDay.

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.