The Federal Airports of Nigeria (FAAN) has justified the introduction of paid parking at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja saying the action will instill sanity at the airport.
FAAN also said the paid parking is in response to indiscriminate parking, tame unruly behaviours of some motorists and the need to instill sanity at the airport.
Mr. Kabir Mohammed, the Abuja Airport Manager who commissioned the facility on Thursday, September 29, 2022 as earlier announced said the automation is in line with best practices found in most important airports across the world.
The commissioning was the highlight of the Abuja Airport at 40-anniversary celebration held at the Airport on Thursday. The Airport was commissioned in 1982 as a protocol airport but it has since grown to be the second must profitable airport in Nigeria, processing millions of passengers annually.
Mr. Mohammed explained that when “you go into airports abroad and you see that nothing is done manually and when you come into Abuja airport, you find out that people park indiscriminately. We try to talk to them, but they want to feel they have a right to park. Yet they do not park properly and if we will pay people to tell them how to park, then we said let’s introduce payment. So, we decided to automate the collection to reduce human interface and corruption. This will also add to the ambiance of the airport” he said.
He said he is happy about the progress the airport has made and the new opportunities that are coming in the near term.
“The FG has awarded the contract for the construction of a second runway at the airport. The second runway will come with new terminal building, new cargo terminal and new fire station. Once that is achieved, it will improve passengers’ output as well as business at the airport: he said.
On the challenges that the airport faces he said “the major challenge is power, political influences and people not wanting to obey laid down rules. But we are inculcating the culture of discipline and professionalism especially the staff at the airport” to ensue decorum at the airport he said.
Speaking earlier at the event, the Managing Director/CEO of FAAN Capt. Rabiu Yadudu disclosed that the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja processed 5,323,905 passengers in 2021.
The MD who was represented by the Director of Airport Operations, FAAN, Capt. Muktar Yusuf Muye, said Abuja Airport “came into being 40 years ago. I am glad that the airport has continued to grow in leaps and bounds since then. In the year 2021 for example, a total of 5,323,905 passengers were processed through the airport, which was a whopping 37.23% increase on the year 2020 figures. In terms of facility upgrade, the airport also has been quite progressive.”
He said “Nnamdi Azikiwe international Airport, Abuja is not just one of Nigeria’s most important airports in terms of positioning, capacity and revenue generation; it is also the airport that serves Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, the seat of national governance, so it is both strategic and highly significant.”
He said 40 years down the line the airport, the Airport has made significant improvements, especially in recent history. He particularly noted the total overhaul of the runway in 2017, the brand new international terminal, with a passenger processing capacity of 15 million per annum at the commissioning of the Terminal D of the airport was also completed and commissioned, while the airport has been linked to the railway line in Abuja, making for seamless movement of passengers to and from the airport.
Additionally, he said the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) audited the airport and certified it safe and secure for flight operations, with 96% score in 2018. The process of recertification has commenced and it’s currently ongoing.
He said additionally, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) audited the airport and certified it safe and secure for flight operations, with 96% score in 2018. The process of recertification has commenced and it’s currently ongoing. The Federal
The government has also approved the construction of the second runway for the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport,
According to him, the trajectory of progress has been upward ever since, as passengers and stakeholders have commended the level of facilities and service delivery at the airport. As a testament to this, the airport was adjudged the Best Airport in Safety for the year 2018 by Airport Council International, Africa Region. The airport also received ACI’s Airport Service Quality Award in the year 2020, amongst several others.
