After having successfully concluded its derelict aircraft disposal operation at Lagos Murtala Muhammed International Airport, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is now set to move into Abuja's Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport with other regional airports in Kano and Edo states to follow. |
| Abandoned BAC1-11s in Abuja (MFabry) |
“The task force is now going to move to Abuja, Benin, Kano and other towns to ensure that we clean the spaces, the runways and the terminals of abandoned aircraft. And then we are happy that Nigerians are stakeholders in healing this wound, because this has been on the drawing board for the past 20 years; it became almost impossible to effect, but with the support of the Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, we are able to carry out this operation,” he declared.
Mr Dati added that environmental assessments would be performed in order to ensure that airports and their environs were left in better condition than previously.
While no major incidents or legal repercussions have been encountered thus far, the FAAN did give the Federal Fire Service in Abuja the go ahead to use of one of the abandoned aircraft in Lagos as a fire-fighting trainer, despite owners of four aircraft in Lagos having asked for time to evacuate their aircraft themselves.
Conservative estimates state that, in total, there are over 65 abandoned aircraft sitting in eight of Nigeria's main airports.
