Flight operations were disrupted at Kano’s Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKA) on Monday morning following a disagreement between the officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and their counterpart with the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NEMA).

Passengers especially Abuja-bound passengers at the airport in the morning could not make their trip as planned after the Air Traffic Controllers, through their union, Nigeria Air Traffic Controllers Association suspended their operation at the airport.

It was gathered that flights, however, resumed later in the day after intervention by some stakeholders, who assured that the dispute between the sister agencies would be amicably resolved.

A source familiar with the happenings at the airport told Daily Sun that the operational disruption was a protest adopted by the staff of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency.

He explained this followed a decision by the management of FAAN to disconnect the electricity supply to the facilities of the agency and to their residential quarters following their inability to redeem their unpaid electricity bill.

The source, who said that the unpaid bill, was much added that prior to this time, “The same FAAN had disconnected supply to some navigational facilities of NAMA, claiming that it was as a result of a faulty circuit which they refused to repair until date”

The source alleged that FAAN, through its Kano Airport Manager, Gambo Aboki has been undermining other stakeholders at the airport, saying that his disposition would not augur well for the inter-agency relationship Efforts to hear from FAAN or from any of its managers were unsuccessful as at press time. (Daily Sun)

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