The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has downgraded the Port Harcourt International Airport from grade eight to seven, citing lack of adequate fire fighting equipment to serve wide-body aircraft during an emergency.
News about the downgrade came just as African Petroleum Plc (AP) reduced the price of aviation fuel prices (known as Jet A1), by 44 per cent – a development that will have a spill-over effect on air fares in Nigeria ’s domestic operations.
The implication of the downgrade of the Port Harcourt Airport is that only smaller aircraft can now land and take off from the airport until the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) meets the condition specified by NCAA.
NCAA also gave 21-day ultimatum to FAAN to upgrade fire facilities at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport , Abuja to avoid its downgrade.
THISDAY learnt that FAAN has only two fire tenders at the international airport. While one of the vehicles is unserviceable, the other is leaking water, depicting that none of them could be deployed during emergency.
According to the International Civil Aviation Organisation standards, which airports must abide by, there should be minimum of three fire tenders in international airport like Port Harcourt and the fire vehicles must be in good working conditions.
Besides the Murtala Muhammed International Airport , Lagos , no other airport in Nigeria meets this requirement.
The government of Rivers state has come to the rescue of FAAN by providing temporarily two fire tenders to the airport. It also gave the Authority N2 billion for the acquisition of two new fire tenders
The downgrading is already affecting the international airlines that operate from the airport as THISDAY learnt that a major European carrier was forced to use smaller aircraft to operate everyday to the airport instead of using bigger aircraft and flying three times a week to the South South city. This would be more economical for the airline and better for the passengers because it would carry more cargo.
A senior FAAN official acknowledged the downgrading of the Port Harcourt Airport and confirmed that two additional fire tenders have been added by the Rivers state government with each containing 45,000 litres of water
The source also said FAAN was making efforts to repair a fire tender at the Nnamdi Azikiwe airport, Abuja, hoping that efforts would be intensified to carry out the repairs.
FAAN has reiterated severally that it plans to acquire more fire tenders for the nation’s airport.
Meanwhile, after many weeks of clamouring for marketers to bring down aviation fuel prices, African PetroleumPlc (AP) yesterday reduced the price of its product by 44 per cent.
Now, AP sells Jet A1 N86.00 instead of N156 per litre and it is expected that other marketers will be forced to bringdown their prices as airlines have started voting with their feets.
Assistant Secretary-General, Airlines Operators of Nigeria, Alhaji Muhammed Tukur, confirmed these developments.
Jan302009