Ogun Gateway Airport has taken too long to commence full commercial operation because of its pursuit of an operating permit instead of aerodrome certification, it has been revealed.
This is just as the airport is putting in place the necessary facilities to position the international cargo airport as a veritable alternative to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport for passenger and cargo operations.
The Ogun Airport project has been in the pipeline since 2007 and the Dapo Abiodun-led administration started the work in 2021 and in 2023 the airport recorded inaugural aircraft landing following the completion of a 4km runway which is presently the longest in Nigeria.
In 2023 when the state government rolled out the drums to celebrate the inaugural aircraft landing, many Nigerians had expected full commercial operations to commence there.
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According to the state government, that would soon be a reality as the federal government had already given the nod for the commencement of charter services at the airport using the temporary terminal while work has reached advanced stage at the permanent terminal of the airport.
The Ogun Gateway Airport Administrator/Consultant, Capt. Dapo Olumide, while providing an insight into the operation of the airport during a recent tour, said the Gateway Cargo Airport would have commenced operation but the government was insistent on pursuing an Airport Operating Permit instead of an Aerodrome Certification, explaining that the former is more stringent than the latter.
He was joined by the Commissioner for Works, Engr Ade Akinsanya and the Commissioner for Transport, Engr. Gbenga Dairo.
Olumide said, “There is a difference between operating permit and aerodrome certification. We are the first airport in Nigeria to attain the status of full operation permit. What we are doing is we are going for an operating permit which is far more stringent than an aerodrome certification.”
Checks by our correspondent indicate that aerodrome certification has five stages like the airline operating certificate (AOC) comprising application, technical evaluation, inspection of facilities, among others.
Earlier in December 2024, aviation agencies including the apex regulatory authority, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), and Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) inspected facilities at the airport as part of the certification process which is still ongoing.
According to Olumide, the airport being the closest to MMIA, the busiest airport in Nigeria, has the longest runway suitable for any international landing and departure. For an aircraft that is diverting from Lagos, the airport provides a suitable alternative landing. He said that within an hour and half, passengers who land at the airport would find themselves in Lagos.
In addition, he described the airport as the best location in Africa for the transportation of perishable and non-perishable food items. “We have a cargo warehouse. This is also an ideal location for Hajj flights and it offloads the traffic in Lagos.”
As part of the certification process, the government has completed an administrative building for NAMA, a five-storey building control tower, a modern fire station, a meteorological garden with windshield direction, and automatic weather station (AWS), among others.
3 concessionaires eye airport
Meanwhile, three concessionaires have indicated interest in the airport, according to Capt. Olumide.
He, however, clarified that the airport, designed as an aerotropolis, has several layers that could be concessioned to would-be investors.
He said, “We have three companies that have expressed interest in the concessioning.
“But the concession has to be clarified. A lot of people don’t understand what concession means. It’s like when you hear about Lagos Airport being concessioned. It’s the terminal building that is being concessioned. The runway will always remain FAAN’s.
“But the terminal building would be concessioned. Same thing here, we are concessioning the infrastructures of the airport because this is slightly different from the airport in the sense that this is primarily an aerotropolis and because it is an aerotropolis that makes it more attractive for concessionaires.”
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