Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has said the new international terminal being constructed by the China Civil Engineering and Construction Company (CCECC) Nigeria Limited as part of the $500 million concessional loan from China EXIM Bank would be commissioned in the next four weeks.
Speaking at the 5th Aviation stakeholders’ forum in Abuja on Thursday, he said works have already reached an advanced stage, adding that the Ministry was working seriously with the construction company to ensure other terminals were ready for operation soon.
However he said that of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) might roll into next year owing to pending litigation over location of the terminal.
It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari penultimate week inaugurated the new international terminal of Port Harcourt Airport in Omagwa, Rivers State.
Sirika said the ones in Lagos, Kano and Enugu are at advanced stages of completion too.
“We have commissioned the new International Terminal Building in Port Harcourt while the ones at Abuja, Lagos, Kano and Enugu are at advanced stages of completion but the FAAN managing director is assuring me the Abuja terminal will be ready in four weeks. Let me say latest in five weeks, it would be commissioned”, he said.
Sirika also disclosed that when the new terminals are completed, it would significantly increase traffic, saying his target is to achieve 30m passengers per annum from the present 15m.
He added, “We have linked new Abuja International Terminal to rail station, streamlined various security screening points at the International Airports in line with Executive Order on Ease of Doing Business apart from the installation of solar airfield lighting at 10 airports – Akure, Port Harcourt, Sokoto, Yola, Kaduna, Minna, Enugu, Maiduguri, Jos and Ibadan.”
“A 1,300-capacity multi-storey car park at the International Terminal in Lagos through Public Private Partnership (PPP) was constructed last year while we completed the construction of Wing D Terminal at NAIA, Abuja” Sirika said.
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