The development has raised safety concern among air travelers at the airport who have resorted to alternative routes and drop in revenue acruals.
Aircraft pilots had on Wednesday called on the aviation authorities to shut the Enugu and Benin airports for comprehensive repair of their runways, describing the facilities as pathetic.
At a stakeholders’ forum organized by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) in Lagos, one of the pilots, Captain Chris Najomo, said government must quickly address the problem for the safety of air travelers.
He said the runways are accidents waiting to happen and have therefore called for the closure of the airports to fix the facility critical to safe landings and take-offs.
According to him, “The runway in Benin Airport is pathetic, dangerous, an accident waiting to happen. Please, let them do something about the Benin Airport; you can close it and resurface it, Benin and Enugu".
He also pointed out that the second taxiway at the Lagos airport that had been shut for over 10 years should be given attention.
"We are having potholes on the taxiway in Lagos, it is becoming more and more dangerous, so,we need to do something about it,” Najomo said.
In the face of the mounting evidence, an official of the Benin airport who simply identified himself as Mr. Oluwole who declined interview with newsmen at the Weekend due to privacy and safety concern bothering on navigation equipment.
The Benin airport manager, Mr. Olatokunbo Arewa, and the Head of Corporate Affairs were not on sit as at the time newsmen called.
But, investigation revealed that businesses around the airport were at a low ebb.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Aviation, Alhaji Sabiu Zakari, had assured that once investigation was carried out, whatever needs to be done would be done, whether there was budgetary allocation or not.
"Once we carry out technical investigation, what needs to be done will be done, whether or not there was budgetary allocation, just like we did for Abuja airport,” he said.
South-East governors had in penultimate week, called for emergency repairs of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.
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