Passengers Stranded As Akure Airport Shut Down

Following the destruction of navigational equipment by the heavy downpour associated with storms that occurred on Monday night in Akure, the Ondo State capital, the Akure Airport has been shut down.

LEADERSHIP gathered that the heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms destroyed some equipment inside the Airport Control Tower, thereby making it impossible for flights to take-off and land in Akure Airport.

Some of the passengers, who were billed to travel by air out of state, lamented the situation. Some of them said they had to leave the airport out of frustration after waiting for several hours

Recall that the heavy downpour that occurred on Monday night destroyed some buildings and rendered some residents of Eleyewo, Ilu Abo, and Bolorunduro in Akure North Local Government Area, where the airport is located, homeless.

LEADERSHIP learnt that the development caused discomfort to passengers, airport users, and other aviation officials working at the airport.

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A source within the Airport informed LEADERSHIP that some equipment like network time protocol, encoder, Air conditioners, computers, and others in the control tower, were destroyed by the thunderstorm.

According to the source, “Monday’s thunderstorm really damaged much equipment inside the control tower; the windows were smashed while the ceiling also caved in. If you go around the airport, many buildings, including staff quarters, are touched.

“About seven buildings housing airport staff had their roofs removed as a result of the heavy thunderstorm. With the development, all commercial flights have been grounded until further notice by the airport authorities pending the repairs of damaged equipment.”

Efforts to get an official statement from Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) on the development were unsuccessful as the agency’s officials failed to respond to the inquiry made about the extent of damage and when the equipment would be fixed.