FG committed to upgrading airports, making them viable – Sirika

The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika has disclosed that the government is committed to upgrading the airports in the country and making them viable.

He said through the concession of the airports, due to the paucity of government funds to undertake the repairs itself, the private handlers of the terminals and facilities will turn the derelict state of the airports into what Nigerians will be proud of.

The airport upgrade is part of the Aviation master plan that seeks to revamp the aviation sector through the active participation of the private sector and make it self-sustaining.

Some of the core objectives of the aviation master plan seek to establish a national carrier; have ready maintenance, repair, and overhaul center; establish an aviation leasing company; establish five airport free zones; and the development of an agro-allied cargo terminal.

The Minister stated this at a virtual stakeholders meeting where he asserted that the four major airports in Nigeria located in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Kano were not designed as international facilities. He stated that the airports have not been designed as international hubs but operate separate international and domestic terminals.

“The airports in Nigeria are currently operating in a suboptimal environment as there is relatively low asset utilisation due to the limited opening hours of other smaller Nigerian airports; lack of terminal capacity as the airports fall short of gates, stands, and check-in desks’’, he stated.

An overstretched facility is the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos terminal, built-in 1979 for 200,000 passengers, but currently processes nearly eight million flyers.

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He pointed out that there was an urgent need for infrastructure investments and modernisation as all airports require investments in runway maintenance, navigation aids as well as terminal facilities.

A solution developed for the obsolete and dilapidated aviation infrastructure by the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, is the Aviation Master Plan that seeks to revamp the country’s aviation sector with the airports upgrade a major point for consideration. The master plan included a comprehensive upgrade of aviation infrastructure in the country and a major component of this vision is the proposed concession of the airports to start with the four international airports.

The Aviation Master plan seeks to achieve an aviation economy that will be viable and generate revenue for the government coffers through the optimal usage of all of the facilities.

The immediate solution is to concession the airports and activities are on to make this happen through the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC). As confirmed by the minister, the inefficient use and the airports operating below expectations were why the facilities had been put up for concession.

The facilities to be concession are the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos: international and cargo terminals; and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja: international, domestic, and cargo terminals.

Others include the Port Harcourt International Airport, Port Harcourt: international, domestic, and cargo terminals; and Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano: international, domestic, and cargo terminals.

Concession of the airport facilities means the government has relinquished management to private investors who automatically become responsible for developing the airport and making sure it measures up to global standards. The airports are expected to be improved upon to meet modern demands which most Nigerian airports lack and the operational efficiency and profitability of the airports will thus increase.

However, it is important that the concession agreement is well spelled out. Both parties, the government, and private investors need to come to a mutually beneficial agreement. This is where the ICRC will be more effective, to get the perfect concessionaire for the country.