Aviation sector operators have urged the federal government to fix the faulty lights on runway 18L/R36 at the domestic wing of Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
They said the state of the runway without the Airfield Lighting poses a threat to smooth airline operations.
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The runway has been without airfield lighting since 2006 making it difficult for flights to take off or land on the runway at night.
President of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), Comrade Abednego Galadima, said the long taxiing to the domestic would add to the cost of operation as airlines continue to burn more fuel during the period.
They also fear the closure of the airport if the runway goes bad entirely. This was the situation on February 16, 2021, when an Azman Airline’s Boeing 737-500 aircraft with registration 5N-SYS had a burst tyre on the runway causing the temporary closure of the airport, and resumed after it was towed.
Commenting, an aviation analyst, Group Capt. John Ojikutu (rtd), said: “Runway 18L has been the way it is since 2010. If anything happens on the Runway 18R today, you can rest assured that by sunset, the Lagos airport, MMA, will remain closed until the obstruction is removed.”
However, the Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Capt. Rabiu Yadudu had hinted at fixing the Airfield Lighting (AFL) recently, noting that the project was stalled last year by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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