- Safiu Kehinde
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has approved the resumption of commercial flight operations at the Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport, Ibadan.
This was disclosed in a statement issued in Ibadan on Wednesday by the Special Adviser on Media to Gov Seyi Makinde, Dr Suleimon Olanrewaju.
According to Olarenwaju, the approval is contained in a letter dated December 16 by the NCAA and addressed to the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
The airport was issued a provisional interim operational permit following the NCAA’s review of the facilities and operational arrangements at the airport recently upgraded by the Oyo state government.
Olanrewaju disclosed that the state government had undertaken several projects, including the extension and widening of the runway and improvement of airfield lighting at the airport.
He also added the construction of a 500,000-litre aviation fuel storage facility and a new Protocol Lounge amogst other projects which saw the approved for flight operations by the NCAA.
The statement partly read; “In the letter, the NCAA approved the issuance of a provisional interim operational permit for the commencement of scheduled flight operations at the airport.
“The NCAA said it approved after reviewing the updated status of safety-critical facilities, operational arrangements and mitigation measures, which followed recent developments at the aerodrome and the additional information provided by FAAN.
“The approval followed efforts by the Oyo State Government to upgrade the airport to an international standard, with the state government having undertaken several projects, including the extension and widening of the runway and improvement of airfield lighting.
“Other projects carried out at the airport include the construction of a 500,000-litre aviation fuel storage facility and a new Protocol Lounge,”