FAAN begins replacement, repair of aged equipment at airports, says MD
By Yunus Yusuf
Managing Director of FAAN, Capt. Rabiu Yadudu and Mrs Faithful Hope-Ivbaze, Ag General Manager, Corporate Affairs of FAAN at the League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC), Office on Wednesday.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) said it has begun the replacement and repair of most of the aged equipment used to carry out its daily operations at the airports across the country.
The Managing Director, FAAN, Capt. Rabiu Yadudu made this known at an interactive session with the League and Airports Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) in Lagos on Wednesday.
The Managing Director said some of the equipment such as the baggage landing, runway, the central cooling system among others were even more than 40 years and above.
Yadudu said FAAN had inaugurate an ad hoc committee in 2021 because it saw that most of the facilities were aged, saying that these equipment were supposed to be replaced every 15 years, but some had gone 25 to 30 years.
“The Major repair of ageing equipment and components. I gave you an example in Lagos; abandoned runway and airfield lighting. Also. The key elements at MMA and any other airports that we not replaced, but now, we are replacing them.
“Some were last replaced in either 1980 or 1985, now, we are replacing them. It is only the air-conditioning system that we have not yet procure, but we are processing it and the airfield lighting.
“However, all other basic ones such as disable aircraft, baggage handling and other basic ones that the people see every day, we have started with them. The avio bridges, we have started with them and that is in terms of infrastructure.
“We set up a committee last year because we saw that most of the facilities are aged. These equipment were supposed to be replaced every 15 years, but some have gone 25 to 30 years.
“So, we have a committee that is working and they gave us the state of the equipment for all the airports so that we can make use of it, work with the ministry and use it to know their status so that we can plan.
“This year, we will work in Akure, Borno, Sokoto and next year, we will work in Port Harcourt, Benin and Yola. We don’t have all the money to fix all, but we will do the entire airports gradually,” he said.
Yadudu while responding on its plans to start 24 hours operations of the airports, explained that it want all airports to operate 24 hours because it was a business for FAAN.
He added that FAAN earn its revenue from that operations because it was a service delivery agency, but the challenge would the 24 hours operations pay for itself?
According to him, Somebody has to pay for the 24 hours operations. Will the business pay for itself? If we open an airport with just only three landings, FAAN will close down.
Yadudu noted that no organisation in the world would try it, adding that even in Europe, what exist there, were many airports that were sunrise to sunset.
The managing director said it could operate an airport even for sunrise to midday so that airport users that knows should go around that window.
Yadudu, however, said FAAN cannot operate an airport that it cannot breakeven, because it was already challenged, adding that it could only operate 24 hours airport if it knew that the business could be sustainable.
He said: “At first, some of the businesses may look as if they are sustainable even for the next two years. I cannot commit to 24 hours operations when you are not coming.
“One airline came to us that they wanted to operate 24 hours operations to Yola and wanted us to extend the time for them, but I told them that we will need a lot of money to so that.
“An airline may decide to open a route today and dispatch just one aircraft, but for FAAN, NAMA and the rest will have to mobilise personnel, ensure efficiency and fix facilities that can be move in and out.
“Sometimes, fuelers and handlers will be needed so we don’t want a situation whereby an airline will start a route now and in the next few months.
“It will stop such route due to lack of passengers. Then, who will pay for all we have gone through?”
Yadudu said FAAN had resolved the security issue and the manifestation was on ground, adding that, that singular incident, there was still an investigation ongoing.
The managing director also sympathised with the domestic airlines on the scarcity of Jet A1, regretting that If anything affected the airlines, it would definitely affect FAAN and every other thing or organisation.
He said FAAN was working actively with the airlines with the DG NCAA, promising that there would be some positive actions from the government soon on Jet A1 availability.
Yadudu explained that the relocation to the new terminal at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport would be done in phases.
According to him, I told airlines that operate morning and afternoon flights to move to the new terminal so that we will decongest the old terminal.
He said it was unfortunate that some of them said they would not move, but FAAN was not ready to compel them to move.
The managing director said they cannot be a FAAN stakeholder and dictate to them, saying that when the time comes, they must all move.
He said those that refused to move to the new terminal want to paint them in bad light that FAAN don’t have a good terminal, which was not true.
Yadudu said they were complaining of the bad facilities and the baggage handling, now, FAAN had provided them with a new one, yet, they refused to move.
