JUST-IN: Keyamo Suspends Nigeria Air Project, Airport Concessioning Deals

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has suspended the controversial Nigeria Air Project and airport concessioing embarked upon by the immediate-past administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

LEADERSHIP reports that the Nigeria Air project and the concessioning of the Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt Airports have courted so much controversies, hence experts in the aviation sector have called for their suspension, saying they have no benefit to the sector.

However, on his maiden visit and a tour of the Murtala Muhammed Airport Lagos, the Aviation Minister said he has suspended all plans and arrangements concerning the proposed national carrier, Nigeria Air.

On the relocation of foreign airlines to the new Lagos terminal, Keyamo noted that the reason the new Lagos terminal had been underutilized was because it could not take wide-bodied aircraft, saying the airlines would be using the terminal while government procures big busses to convey passengers.

He also stated that the old international terminal of Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos would be shut down by October 1, 2023 for renovation even as he said all private hangars like Dominion Hangar, EAN Hangar and others would be relocated to pave way for expansion of the new terminal.

“The major complaints have been with the old terminal. That place is an eyesore to Nigerians coming in. The lifts are not working. The passage is unwelcoming and there is no air conditioner. We have the new terminal but cannot be used. It was designed without provision for big planes,” Keyamo stated.