The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), has reopened the 18R/36L Runway at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos 11 months after closure for maintenance.
Links 2 and 3 of the Runway are now opened to international traffic, thereby reducing the burden on domestic 18L/36R runways on Saturday.
Kenya Airways landed on the Runway on Saturday and was welcomed with a water cannon salute.
The FAAN had in March 2023, announced the international runways 18R and 36L at Murtala Muhammed Airport Lagos will be shut down for maintenance.
FAAN said the runways would be closed for eight weeks for maintenance.
“This is to notify the public that runway 18R/36L of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos has been closed for eight weeks for Maintenance work to be carried out,” a statement by FAAN had said.
The closure of the runway affected the flow of traffic and airline schedules, also increasing airlines’ costs as they burned more fuel and caused passenger delays.
The reopened runway 18R/36L has a length of 3,900 m (12,794 ft) and a width of 60 m (197 ft),
Managing director of FAAN, Olubunmi Kuku, during a recent inspection tour of the vehicular movement at MMIA hinted that the reopening of Runway 18R, might happen sooner than anticipated.
Kuku revealed that efforts were underway to expedite the reopening process through an interim method coordinated by the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).
In preparation for the runway’s reopening, the MD of FAAN highlighted engagements with the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to ensure a smooth and timely resumption of operations.
Kuku expressed optimism about the reopening, stating that stakeholders can anticipate it happening relatively soon, with the full support of the minister and permanent secretary.
“We are working closely with the contractor, and with the minister’s and permanent secretary’s support, we expect the reopening in the next few weeks. Our stakeholders have been patient, and we are committed to minimising the delay. While the initial plan was for a six-week closure, unforeseen delays occurred, but we are doing our best to expedite the process.”, she said.
