The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has said the temporary closure of Lagos Airport Runway 18 R/36L for maintenance would not affect flights at the aerodrome.
Spokesperson of the authority and Acting General Manager, Public Affairs, Mrs Faithful Hope Ivbaze, told The Nation in a telephone interview that while the repairs are ongoing in the next eight weeks, the alternate runway – 18L /36R will remains open for full flight operation.
She said: “We request the kind understanding and cooperation of all stakeholders towards achieving this very important safety/security objective.”
She said the runway has been closed since March 11, 2023.
Mrs Ivbaze further said: “It is only an aspect of the runway that is closed for repairs and flight operations are not disrupted. Flight disruptions are not part of this closure at all; flights are still going on internationally.”
Earlier this year, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) shut the same international runway for a few hours for maintenance.
Late last year, night operations returned to the second runway of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, otherwise known as runway 18/L, 18 years after night operations were last carried out on the facility.
In August last year, FAAN shut the facility to flights for the installation of the category three Airfield Ground Lighting system on the runway, allowing flights to use runway 18/Right usually used by international airlines.
According to FAAN, this was part of the efforts aimed at improving the safety and efficiency of flight operations at the Murtala Muhammed Airport.
The Lagos airport domestic runway, which was re-commissioned in 2006 after refurbishment and rehabilitation, has been without runway lights.
This made it difficult for flights to take off or land on the runway at night, forcing domestic airlines to land at the international wing at night and then taxi to the domestic side.
