FIVE MAJOR AIRPORTS IN NIGERIA TO BE REMODELED.

Nigeria to remodel major airports in the nation.

The Federal Government said yesterday that Nigerian airports will start wearing a new look with the plans to construct five new terminal buildings across the nation’s airports to make them align with international standards.

Minister of Aviation Mrs. Fidelia Njeze said this while declaring open the 19th edition of the Airport Council International (ACI) Conference and Exhibition, Africa Regional in Abuja. She said Federal Government was determined to develop new terminal buildings at the major airports, including Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano and Enugu.

She said: “The Federal Government is in the process of upgrading and remodelling her airports with five key airports in the first phase. These include the construction of four new terminals at Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu, as well as the expansion and massive upgrade and remodelling of the Murtala Muhammed Terminal in Lagos. This she said will help in the deployment of the required technology that will help in enhancing security, safety and passenger comforts at the airports.

Meanwhile, the managing director of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Mr. Richard Aisuebeogun, has said that the Federal Government has given the authority approval to adopt the same “pay-as-you-go” introduced by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) to avert being owed by airlines and other airport users.

According to him, government’s approval of the new payment mode came against the backdrop of the over N16 billion owed FAAN by airlines and for which it had given the airlines three years within which to defray.

Aisuebeogun noted that airlines who fail to adhere to the new mode will have themselves to blame as FAAN will not hesitate to shut down their operations.

Aisuebeogun emphasised “We have government’s approval to begin the pay-as-you-go mode of payment by airlines on October 1, 2010. The essence of the new system is to ensure that airlines don’t continue to owe us. We will not hesitate to apply sanctions on airlines who fail to comply. We hope airlines will take advantage of this new system to avoid holding on to our money.”