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Ahead of plans by the federal government to close the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport by March 8, TheNewsGuru can authoritatively confirm that major international airlines have refused to redirect their Abuja flights to Kaduna over security concerns.
As at the time of filing this report, TheNewsGuru.com gathered that three international carriers have already announced that, as of early next month, they will be temporarily canceling services to Nigeria while repairs are made to the runway.
Among the three airlines are Air France, British Airways and Lufthansa which all stated that they are halting flights to the region due to concerns over ongoing unrest within Nigeria’s Kaduna State.
A spokesperson for British Airways confirmed the carrier’s plans to Telegraph Travel, saying, “We will not be flying to or from Abuja while the airport’s runway is being repaired. All customers affected can move their bookings earlier or later in the year when the airport is open, re-book to our Lagos or Accra services or claim a full refund.”
According to findings, one of the major reasons why majority of the airlines will not be able to cooperate with the federal government’s plan is because major insurance companies have decided not to extend insurance cover to all the major international airlines if they have to fly to Kaduna.
In addition, insurance cover for air freight of valuables including Forex cash into Abuja via Kaduna has also been suspended. The valuables will however be flown into Lagos and the CBN will helicopter such to Abuja.
Also major diplomatic missions and key multinationals in the country have circulated a travel restriction on their key personnel to avoid commuting between Lagos and Abuja while the closure lasts. They want to avoid the Kaduna hassle as much as possible.
Recall that the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Siriki, said the closure will allow Julius Berger carry out a total reconstruction on the badly damaged runway at the airport.
He however also explained that the government could not afford to close down the Abuja Airport for much longer, considering its importance and economy of the FCT.
He said: “From start to finish of the runway, it will take six months. but, we will be using the runway almost throughout the period except for about six weeks when the runway will be closed.
According to him, passengers travelling to Abuja from any part of the world will use the Kaduna Airport during the six weeks.