The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has lamented that the state of infrastructure at the nation’s airport is embarrassing.
Speaking at a meeting with the executives and members of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), the managing director of FAAN, Olubunmi Kuku, stated that there were numerous infrastructural challenges in the industry.
Kuku, who assured that the management was not relenting on its oars at tackling them headlong, further added that there would be infrastructural improvement before any of the nation’s airports could become a hub.
According to her, to construct a rail link between the local and international airport in Lagos alone was between $200 million to $300 million, but assured that the management would continue to provide the best for its clients.
The state of our infrastructure is embarrassing, but we will develop them and bring them up to standard, she added.
However, Kuku disclosed to the local airline operators that the authority is set to take delivery of bird strike fighting equipment from Canada to curtail the threat of the menace at the nation’s airports. Kuku expressed that one of the major challenges faced by the current management team on assumption of office was the threat of bird strikes on the operation of the airlines.
She also agreed that there were numerous infrastructural challenges in the industry, but assured that the management was not relenting on its oars at tackling them headlong.
According to her, FAAN had devised a new means of tackling the menace of bird strike incidents.
She said, rather than the early morning cut of grasses method adopted by FAAN in the past, which attracted birds to the airports, the agency now cut grasses at night.
In addition, she explained that FAAN in the next few weeks would take delivery of wildlife fighting equipment from Canada to tackle bird strikes at the airports.
She insisted that this would drastically reduce the effect of birds on equipment, while also promoting safety and increasing the country’s rating in the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
He said, “First of all, we looked at history; what has been happening and what has been causing the high rate of bird strike incidents? Is it that we don’t have enough equipment to fight the birds?
“But now, it has changed because we adopted new techniques. Also, we decided to cut the grass at night because if you are cutting grass in the morning, the birds would be everywhere picking the insects. So, we have changed that. Also, we have acquired some wildlife fighting equipment to reduce the impact.
“We were having so many reports on bird strike incidents literally daily, but now, we may not witness any bird strike incident even in two weeks across the country. And most bird strikes that we have now, are little birds that cause no damage to the aircraft.
“We are not thinking of sustaining the current trend, rather we want to improve on whatever we are doing now. We even have some equipment that are coming in from Canada. It’s not about sustaining it, but we are improving on it because we don’t want to go back to where we were before. What we are bringing is a new technology that is mounted on the vehicles, not stationary.”
She also unveiled her five years strategic plan to AON, which included safety and security, operational excellence and innovation, effective governance and workforce excellence, airport viability, consumer-centric service delivery and infrastructure, organisational and expansion.
Speaking earlier, the vice chairman, AON, Allen Onyema, corroborated the claim of Kuku on the reduction of bird strike incidents at the airports in the country.
Onyema decried that Air Peace for instance in the past had 43 bird strikes in a year, causing either massive or mild damage to aircraft fuselage.
But, now, Onyema said such incidents had reduced since the beginning of the year and urged the management of FAAN to continue in that stead.
“Some of us used to encounter 43 bird strike incidents in one year causing damage to our aircraft, while passengers were also stranded. I am happy that since the beginning of this year, FAAN has been doing very well in fighting such incidents at our airports. It has come down so much. So, I want to commend the management to continue with whatever they are doing to bring it under control,” he stressed.
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