By Sumaila Ogbaje
Abuja – The Minister of State, Aviation, Mr Hadi Sirika, says the Federal Government has addressed 95 per cent of the concerns raised by foreign airlines over the closure of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Sirika made the statement after a closed-door meeting with the representatives of foreign airlines operating in Nigeria in Abuja on Tuesday.
He said that most of the concerns, ranging from security, screening of passengers to managing contracts with their clients in Abuja, were exhaustively discussed.
The minister said: ‘’95 per cent of these concerns have been addressed and I can assure them that refuelling of aircraft will not be a problem.’’
He said the airlines also queried the preparedness of the various agencies of government in the provision of security at Kaduna Airport and on Abuja-Kaduna highway.
He promised to carry the airlines along in inspecting the airport to enable them to assess the preparedness of the government for the six weeks closure period.
“We are not closing Abuja Airport for fun but we are closing it for safety,” he said.
Lufthansa Airlines’ Station Manager, Abuja, Zlatko Zlatic, said the airlines had yet to inspect the Kaduna Airport to enable them to determine whether they can operate or not.
Zlatic commended the minister for working with them and carrying them along in the discussion to close down Abuja Airport.
He said they would work with the government to address the issue of safety in the nation’s aviation sector.
