By Gideon Njoku
With effect from 12 midnight, August 24, air passengers to the South East will be in trouble.
Only the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport will be open for them. Unless they would fly to either Asaba or Port Harcourt International Airports
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, on Saturday, announced an *indefinite* closure of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.
According to a statement signed by Henrietta Yakubu, FAAN’s General Manager, Corporate Affairs, The airport will be closed to all traffic, including international traffic, for major repairs and works on its runway and the airfield.
“This move is aimed at resolving the existing Safety/Security concerns to flight operations.”
No date was fixed for its re-opening, but Yakubu says a date will be announced in due course.
Not a few people are worried about the timing of the closure and when it would be opened for traffic, seeing that Christmas is a few months away, and that many South-Easterners in the Diaspora who plan to be home for the Christmas, through the Enugu Airport, would have already bought their tickets. The prayer is that the repair works are through before the first week of December.
As it is, the only alternative airports for air travellers to the East are the Asaba and Port Harcourt Airports.
If they choose PH, they have to cope with the dangers of travelling by road to their destination. The PH -Owerri, PH-Umuahia and, the PH-Enugu roads are among the most dangerous in the country. They are prone to kidnap activities which endanger the safety of passengers.
