Speed Work On MMIA Runway: Aviators Tell FAAN

By PEARL NGWAMA

The issue of the closure of  the domestic runway popularly known as 18L of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos for more than two years now has become a major concern in the aviation industry as the reopening has unnecessarily dragged.
National Mirror  recalls that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), announced the closure of this runway in mid 2006 for resurfacing, stressing that it was going to be a temporary closure of three months.
But since its closure and several postponements of re-opening, the runway has remained shut for operators thereby mounting pressure on the international runway (18R) as both domestic and international airlines land on its surface.
The closure of this runway was prompted when it constituted a huge problem for aircraft to land on its surface especially in the rainy season when the runway was usually wet.
During this period, many aircraft either skidded off the runway or overshot it, which made stakeholders to call on FAAN to carry out major repair on the runway.  
Sometime last year, FAAN informed the runway would be re-opened before the end of the year but later shifted the re-opening date to first quarter of this year, which has also failed.
The problem, according to an insider from FAAN, took another dimension during the aviation probe which took place in July in Abuja as the contractor to the project, PW Construction Company was visibly seen parking its property from the site.
The insider said the contract sum was grossly inflated by both parties (FAAN and PW Construction), insisting that the resurfacing ought not to be more than N2 billion but is put at N3.5 billion which is quite high.
Though FAAN has assured that the runway would be ready for reopening by December this year, stakeholders are of the view that the speed of work should increase as the continuous use of this international runway for both domestic and international operations poses great danger to flight operations.
According to the General Secretary, National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Mr. Gideon Ogbuji, it causes flight delays, “some up to 30 minutes later than the scheduled time of departure, burning fuel because the flight from the domestic wing of the Airport now taxis to the international wing runway before take off, burning fuel,” he said.
He expressed displeasure that MMA seen as a West African hub is using one runway, stressing that something should be done quickly to prevent any form of disaster. Said he: “If nothing is done soon the Lagos Airport will be shut down. Recently the runway is not smooth implying that it is cracking. With this, an aircraft can slip and crash. Also if the flights are not properly controlled it may cause the likelihood of collision one day.”
Aviation expert, Captain Dele Ore, commenting on the issue noted that we had two runways when we had not as much flight as it is now. “The pressure on that runway is much because the capacity of flight operations has increased considerably. Let us hope that 18L will actually be opened by December as promised by FAAN. If possible earlier.”
As it is, in a bid to ensure safe landing for all the aircraft using the airport, the Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) keep some of the aircraft in the air to hover for others to land. This act, which is the only way safe operations could be guaranteed, leads to fuel burning of the aircraft in the air.
Though, some levels of safety are still being maintained by the ATC but airlines are groaning because of fuel burning especially at this time when JET A1 is consistently on the rise. As at today, a litre of aviation fuel goes for N152:00.
Aviation Media Consultant, Mr. Deba Uwadiae, said that the closure of the runway for more than two years constitutes serious safety implications on the industry.
He stated that the closure of the runway is unfortunately putting pressures on the international runway, adding that in case anything goes wrong with it, operations would be totally paralysed at the airport.
He emphasised that if such a huge amount was spent on the rehabilitation of the runway, one would have expected it to be completed within three months, stressing that the inability of the contractor to complete it within the period left much to be desired.
Uwadiae maintained that the usage of only one runway (18R) in the last two years, was affecting the financial power of the airlines as they now spend more fuel taxing from the international runway to the take-off point.
He explained that the airlines spend about 500 litres of fuel on taxiing to the take-off point, which would have been saved if the runway had been put in order and corroborated that some aircraft too are suspended in the air for others to either take-off or land.
He however refused to comment on the contractual agreement between FAAN and the contractor, stressing that it should be left for engineers to value.
His words: “I won't want to comment on the amount involved because I'm not an engineer and will not be able to evaluate the cost but if such amount was spent on resurfacing, one would have expected it to be completed within 90 days.
“FAAN is telling us that whoever the contract was given to was not competent to handle such a project. The closure definitely affects flight and safety operations because it allows aircraft to be hovering in the air for several minutes, which ought not to be.
“This has serious economic implication on the airline. For them to taxi from the terminal to the runway, they spend nothing less than 500 litres of fuel. It is economic waste to the airlines especially now that aviation fuel is constantly on the rise.”
To Engr. Wale Adekoya, the alleged contractual agreement of N3.5 billion for the resurfacing of the runway was “disgustingly inflated,” arguing that as an engineer who knows the nitty-gritty in aviation matters, the amount ought not to be more than N2 billion.
According to him, the resurfacing of the runway ought not to be more than three months, stressing that its closure for more than two years left much to be desired and therefore urged FAAN to ensure that the runway was completed within the next one month for safety operations to be guaranteed.