The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has said the contractors handling the rehabilitation of Port-Harcourt Airport will be back to site by next week.
The General manager, Public Affairs, FAAN, Mr. Akin Olukunle, made the disclosure in a chat with newsmen in Ikeja on Wednesday said that the foreign workers of Julius Berger, the contracting firm handling the rehabilitation, abandoned the site last month following the spate of kidnappings in the Niger Delta.
The contracting firm is handling the resurfacing of the airport runway, airfield lightings and other civil works at the airport, which was closed down in August last year.
Olukunle said that about 35 per cent of the work had already been done by the firm which was impressive to FAAN, expressing hope that the company would meet its target for reopening of the airport this year.
The airport was closed in August last year for rehabilitation following its deteriorating state and Julius Berger was, mobilised to the site in March this year to commence rehabilitation work.
Olukunle also spoke on the menace of destitutes at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport vicinity, saying FAAN was working round the clock to ensure they were removed and kept at bay.
�The evacuation of destitute from the airport vicinity is a continuous process, and the Lagos State government had been of immense support in that regard,� he added.
He also debunked speculations that FAAN intended to cut down its staff strength,� No more retrenchment for now in FAAN, whatever speculations that is making the rounds at the moment is untrue,� he said.
He said that rather than thinking of downsizing, FAAN was thinking of involving all its category of staff in the area of revenue generation.
FAAN had in 2005 retrenched over 1,000 staff of its total staff strength.