Port Harcourt International Airport is not safe, experts in the aviation industry have cautioned, calling on the Federal Government to shut the facility for immediate necessary repairs to save the nation unnecessary avoidable calamities.
The stakeholders raised their fears against the backdrop of reports of several incidences of aircraft skidding off runways at the airport
They maintained that the lack of a central light at the runway was making night flight into the airport suicidal, more so, as too much rubber on the surface of the runway was also making it to retain so much water to the extent that when rain falls, aircraft lose balance and skid off the runway.
The experts, who stated this in Abuja at a two-day industry engagement on review of accident reports organised by the Accident Investigation Bureau, Nigeria (AIB-N), pointed out that the Port Harcourt runway was notorious for water deposits on its runway, whereby even big aircraft find it difficult to cope.
According to them, presently there is lack of critical infrastructure on the runway, which makes landing at the airport very difficult, especially in the night.
They insisted that the number of serious incidents and accidents that had occurred at the airport over the years made the airport unsafe for flying.
Noting that the runway of the airport lacks critical facilities, including Instrument Landing System (ILS), which guides aircraft to land; low level wind shear indicators, which notifies the weather conditions; comprehensive marking of the runway and taxiways, they warned that the absence of these facilities hamper safe airline operation.
They stressed that these facilities at the airport have been in poor state over the years and regrettably contributed to loss of lives and equipment in the past accidents and incidents that have taken place at the airport.
They, therefore, called for urgent rehabilitation of the critical facilities and equipment that will enhance safe air operation.
Insisting that the runway should be closed for proper resurfacing, they added that there was a curvature that needed to be maintained, such that the runway would begin to retain water, even during heavy down pours.
A former flight captain with Allied Airlines, Captain Wale Otubanjo, said most pilots often avoid flying into Port Harcourt at night, describing the runway as a dark hole approach, as there were a lot of trees surrounding it without adequate lighting, which makes it difficult to fly into the airport.
They urged the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to ensure implementation of AIB’s safety recommendations before the bad weather sets in, saying the NCAA should ensure that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) should implement the recommendations.
Also, Group Captain Ojikutu raised concerns over lack of skilled manpower at the NCAA to ensure that the recommendations were implemented, adding that it should have certified the runway for flight operations.
He said FAAN should have to carry out periodic maintenance of the airport, urging the AIB to find out if FAAN had done periodic maintenance of the runway, adding that there was also the need to find out when last the NCAA audited the Port Harcourt airport.
General Manager, Air Operation Certification and Surveillance at FAAN, Godwin Balang, said the agency was yet to certify the Port Harcourt Airport for flight operations, saying only the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja (NAIA) and the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos have been certified.
He urged industry experts to show understanding with the agency, adding that FAAN should implement AIB committee’s safety recommendations for airlines and other stakeholders.
One of the discussants and Secretary of Aviation Round Table (ART), Group Capt. Ojikutu (rtd) in his contribution said that most of the accidents that happened at Port Harcourt airports were identical and preventable if the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and other aviation agencies had performed their duties creditably.
Ojikutu also queried how often the calibration exercise of flying equipment at most of the nation’s airports to ascertain their safety conditions, especially the Port Harcourt airport was carried out, stating that such exercise was supposed to be carried out every six months.
“Necessary things are not always done when these serious incidents or accidents occur in the country. What is the category of ILS in Port Harcourt Airport? Whose responsibility is it to calibrate the ILS especially those in Port Harcourt Airport.
“If it is a military environment, you can say they have signed to die, but what about the civilians? Most of the foreign registered aircraft that we are using for commercial flights who carry out due diligence on them? For how long are they supposed to remain in Nigeria flying? A lot are still needed to be done to sustain the safety we have in the industry,” he said.
Ojikutu called for periodic maintenance of the Port Harcourt airport runways to avoid accident in the sector.
