The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria. (FAAN), on Saturday, reopened the 18R/36L Runway at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos 10 months after closure for maintenance.
Links 2 and 3 of the Runway are now opened to international traffic, thereby reducing the burden on domestic 18L/36R runway.
Kenya Airways landed on the Runway on Saturday and was welcomed with awater cannon salute.
The FAAN had in March 2023, announced the international runways 18R and 36L at Murtala Muhammed Airport Lagos will be shut down for maintenance.
FAAN said the runways would be closed for eight weeks for maintenance.
“This is to notify the public that runway 18R/36L of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos has been closed for eight weeks for Maintenance work to be carried out,” , a statement by FAAN had said.
The closure of the runway closure affected the flow of traffic and airline schedules, also increasing airlines’ costs as they burned more fuel and cause passenger delays.
The reopened runway 18R/36L has a length of 3,900 m (12,794 ft) and a width of 60 m (197 ft),
Olubunmi Kuku, the Managing Director of FAAN, had during a recent inspection tour of the vehicular movement at MMIA hinted that the reopening of Runway 18R, might happen sooner than anticipated.
Kuku revealed that efforts were nderway to expedite the reopening process through an interim method coordinated by the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).
In preparation for the runway’s reopening, the MD of FAAN highlighted engagements with the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to ensure a smooth and timely resumption of operations.
Kuku expressed optimism about the reopening, stating that stakeholders can anticipate it happening relatively soon, with the full support of the minister and permanent secretary.
“We are working closely with the contractor, and with the minister’s and permanent secretary’s support, we expect the reopening in the next few weeks. Our stakeholders have been patient, and we are committed to minimizing the delay. While the initial plan was for a six-week closure, unforeseen delays occurred, but we are doing our best to expedite the process.”, she said.
