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Aviation expert knocks state govts over construction of more airports

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By: Shola Adekola – Lagos

A Nigerian aviation professional, Dr. Gabriel Olowo, has queried the rush for establishment of more airports by state governments, even when most of the existing aerodromes are not commercially viable.

Olowo, however, advised that efforts should be geared towards developing HUBS at the major airports in the country, especially at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, with so many Terminals in order to attract more traffic  and airlines.

Speaking in an interview on Tuesday, Olowo observed that most of the airports apart from the ones in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt are not commercially viable.

According to him, “facilities that would make the existing airports a HUB are still lacking in most of the country’s airports and mentioned the absence of concourse light train network to connect Domestic Terminals and International Terminals and vice versa both in Lagos, Abuja ,Port Harcourt and Kano. 

“Installing modern technology facilities like self- checking service kiosks, etc, are also lacking.  There exist too many toll gate check-points rather than the many agencies to share data and file a single watch-list with security. This is a major disincentive for hub development. 

“Passenger facilitation is made more cumbersome rather than the global effort at making it seamless.”

For cargo airports, Olowo, who is the current  President of Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ART), lamented that the intra and inter state road linkages to the airports are in deplorable states and wondered how such airports would be useful to farmers and other users to deliver their products.

He emphasised that airports are not only expensive to build because of the many facility linkages but also expensive to maintain even as he submitted that there must be a short and long term enforceable plan by succeeding governments before embarking on airport development if government were to be a continuum.

Condemning the idea of one governor quitting and another abandoning the project such as revealed during the launch of Ogun State agro airport runway, Olowo declared: “For Lagos Airport for instance to become a hub, first class and world-class airport transfer connection facility is necessary. Concourse light trains should be built to connect the terminals rather than allowing Transit and or Tranfer passengers to check out of the customs, burst into the precarious mammoth crowd in rain and shine with their baggage in order to pick a taxi to the next connecting terminal.

“This is very absurd and a shame at MMA in 45years of its existence since 1978. Transport/Transfer passengers dread Lagos Airport especially in the evenings. Regarding cargo airports, the roads to take the products to the airports are either not available or in bad shape with high propensity for trucks to tumble and perishable goods destroyed.  

Explosive goods will also explode. Day old chicken and eggs massively destroyed.States should put their heads together for the establishment of safe, functional and durable interstate road linkages first rather than conceiving the idea of a new agro Aerodrome.”

The airport in the western region of Ibadan and others like that, he said, are still operating below capacity.

“The geographical neighbouring States should cooperate on Road & Rail linkages and upgrade the airport to a world class standard  for the service of Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti,etc rather than individual state effort at establishing its own airport. 

“It’s Bad economics if airports are to deliver economies of scale.

“Airports maintenance are not cheap and must be done routinely. All we need is to make an effort at turning the existing ones ( after proper enhancement) into hubs. There must be deliberate effort to develop hubs and not by building non functional airport silos all over the states overstretching the already stressed treasury.”

On the plan by Abia and Edo State governments to build additional airports in their states, Olowo described it as good politics but bad economics, querying “what is the status of once glorious Benin Airport. Why not revisit the old ruins?”

He wondered if the State governments had short term and long term development plans for their states, stressing that each state should necessarily have 5 to 10 year development plan for their states, which must be strictly honored by subsequent leadership.

Calling on state governments to prioritize the need of the people ranging from basics of life like  Food, Shelter, Heath ,Education etc, Olowo added: “Airports maintenance are not cheap and must be done routinely. All we need is to make an effort at turning the existing ones ( after proper enhancement) into hubs. There must be deliberate effort to develop hubs and not by building non functional airport silos all over the states over stretching the already stressed treasury”.

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