Five years on from the opening of the rehabilitated runway
18L/36R used for domestic flights out of Lagos' Murtala Muhammed International Airport, mobile airfield lighting
has finally been installed there henceforth allowing night time landings which were previously only permitted on runway 18R/36L.
Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) spokesman Supo Atobatele said lighting at the 2'700m long runway was restored by NAMA engineers, who worked through Monday night.
"What looks like a Christmas gift to the airlines, travellers and Nigerians in general, was made possible by the full co-operation of the federal government,'' he said.
Source [Panapress]
In all, sixty-six (66) CALKIT brand emergency airfield lights and an additional two approach lights were deployed by the NAMA engineers. In addition, NAMA has also installed digitalised airfield lighting at
the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja as back-up in case there
is disruption to the fixed lighting which was recently installed at the
airport.
Domestic Nigerian carriers have clamoured for the installation of airfield
lighting on this runway as the
airlines lose "vast sums of money" on wear and tear of their aircraft and on fuel burnt
while taxiing from the international runway to either the domestic
terminal (MMA2) or the General Aviation Terminal (GAT).
