Kenya Airways lands as FAAN reopens MMIA runway 18R/36L

Sade Williams/Business a.m.

A Kenya Airways aircraft, flying into Lagos, was carefully directed to 18R/36L Runways at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) as the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) officially reopened the runway, 10 months after it was closed for maintenance.

Links 2 and 3 of the Runway are now opened to international traffic, and it would reduce the burden on domestic 18L/36R runways.

The Kenya Airways landed on the Runway on Saturday and was welcomed with a water cannon salute.

The FAAN had in March 2023 announced that the international runways 18R and 36L at Murtala Muhammed Airport Lagos will be shut down for maintenance.

FAAN said the runways would be closed for eight weeks for maintenance.

“This is to notify the public that runway 18R/36L of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos has been closed for eight weeks for maintenance work to be carried out,” FAAN said in a statement at the time.

The closure of the runway affected the flow of traffic and airline schedules, and also increased airlines’ costs as they burned more fuel and caused passenger delays.

The reopened runway 18R/36L has a length of 3,900 metres (12,794 ft) and a width of 60 metre (197 ft),

Olubunmi Kuku, managing director, FAAN, during a recent inspection tour of the vehicular movement at MMIA, hinted that the reopening of Runway 18R, might happen sooner than anticipated.

Kuku revealed that efforts were underway to expedite the reopening process through an interim method coordinated by the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).

In preparation for the runway’s reopening, the Kuku highlighted engagements with the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to ensure a smooth and timely resumption of operations.

She expressed optimism about the reopening, stating that stakeholders can anticipate it happening relatively soon, with the full support of the minister and permanent secretary.

“We are working closely with the contractor, and with the minister’s and permanent secretary’s support, we expect the reopening in the next few weeks. Our stakeholders have been patient, and we are committed to minimising the delay. While the initial plan was for a six-week closure, unforeseen delays occurred, but we are doing our best to expedite the process,” she had said.