Nigeria’s largest carrier, Air Peace on Sunday, 28th July cancelled all its flights to Enugu International Airport over flooding in its runway.
The airline which operates two flights from Lagos and two flights from Abuja to the destination was unable to operate into the airport as the runway was not safe to land or take off as a result of the flood.
Reacting to the incident, John Ojikutu, Aviation Security Consultant and Secretary General of the Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI) said he is not aware of any maintenance on the runway between 1977 and 2014 when Ethiopian Airlines was given clearance to fly to the airport.
“Enugu airport was not designed for the traffic it is being forced on it. We’ve had two repairs on that runway in two years and I can see accusing fingers and hear mob actions on ‘government’. I served and worked in that airport more than 7 years and aside from the old B737 and irregular C130 flights, no bigger aircraft flew to that airport,” Ojikutu said.
He explained that the previous road to Abakaliki was a down slope from the Orthopedic hospitals through the airport and the market and Ekulu river flows on the opposite direction; adding the result of this ia a conflict of flood movement reconfigured by the various constructions in the airport.
“When last had Enugu experienced this type of flooding or what is the rain measurement if compared to previous that made the airport flooded? What are the effects of the present and various constructions that are restructuring the landscape of the airport? Even if I don’t know the airport, what are the consequences of all these?,” he inquired.
