The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria ,FAAN, has finally addressed the closure of Akure Airport, which occurred four days after the incident.
FAAN explained that the airport was shut down due to significant damage caused by heavy rainfall on Monday.
The rain resulted in varying degrees of damage to critical equipment, terminal buildings, staff quarters, and other important sections of the airport.
Passengers with bookings to fly to Akure from Lagos were turned away and refunded.
Staff members at the airport disclosed that several essential items, including network time protocol systems, encoders, air conditioners, and computers, were damaged at the control tower and engineering unit.
One passenger, Adetutu Muriano, expressed her frustration after being turned away. She appealed to FAAN to improve communication in such situations.
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“I had an exam scheduled today, Wednesday, and I booked my flight for Tuesday, but I only received a message the evening before saying my flight was canceled. Imagine if I had booked the same flight for early this morning. What would have happened? Is FAAN no longer functioning? Why are they silent about what’s happening at the airport? May God help us,” Muriano lamented.
Another affected passenger, Babatunde Akinteye, who was traveling with Overland Airways, stated that the airline canceled his flight due to technical issues at the airport.
In a message to Akinteye, the airline stated: “Dear Sir/Ma, your Overland Airways Akure – Abuja flight scheduled for March 5, 2025, will not operate due to the closure of Akure Airport (Olumuyiwa Bernard Aliu) for all flight operations for three months, effective March 4, 2025, due to a technical issue. We apologize for any inconvenience and assure you of our best attention at all times.”
On Thursday, FAAN issued an apology on its social media platforms for the disruption caused to passengers. The statement read:
“The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria wishes to inform the public that following damage caused by a rainstorm to the terminal building and control tower at the Ondo International Airport on March 3, 2025, a team of engineers has been deployed to assess the extent of the damage and implement remedial measures.
FAAN regrets any inconvenience caused by this natural occurrence and is working diligently to restore normal flight operations. FAAN remains committed to providing quality services while prioritizing customer satisfaction.”
Crediblenewsng.com
