Air Peace has suspended all its flights to and from Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu State due to concerns over the safety of the airport’s runway.
In a statement released on Saturday, the airline said the condition of the runway has continued to get worse, making it unsafe to continue operations.
“At Air Peace, we prioritise safety first over convenience,” the airline said. “We believe that if flights are not operated into this aerodrome for the next few days, it will allow the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria the opportunity to perform the necessary repairs on the runway.”
The airline explained that the state of the runway had already started causing flight disruptions and delays, leading to the tough decision to stop flying into the airport.
Air Peace said all affected flights will now be redirected to Asaba, Delta State, until the issue is fixed.
“Please be informed that all flights scheduled into and out of Enugu will now be operated into and out of Asaba. We regret any inconvenience this change may have caused,” the statement added.
There have been growing concerns among aviation stakeholders about the poor condition of airport infrastructure across the country. Many have blamed last year’s runway incidents on the poor state of the runways.
In a January interview with TVC, the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Olubunmi Kuku, said most airport runways in Nigeria had outlived their lifespan.
She revealed that the government had included the rehabilitation of 17 runways and the repair of other facilities like perimeter roads and airport fencing in this year’s budget.
According to Kuku, about N580 billion is needed to carry out all the necessary repairs on runways across the country.
